Bonn, Germany, 27 March 2026 – The European Evangelical Alliance (EEA) expresses its profound disappointment regarding the recent judgment of the Supreme Court of Finland.
In this decision, Päivi Räsänen and Juhana Pohjola were convicted of “making and keeping available to the public a text that insults a group.” The case concerns a 2004 pamphlet, Male and Female, He Created Them, presenting a biblical perspective on human sexuality.
Mrs Räsänen was acquitted of separate charges relating to a social media post. The prosecutor had dropped accusations about a radio interview. However, by a narrow 3–2 majority, the Court ruled that the pamphlet itself contained unlawful content, resulting in a considerable financial penalty.
The Supreme Court stated:
“It must be taken into account that the text forming the basis for the conviction did not contain incitement to violence or comparable threat-like fomenting of hatred. The conduct is therefore not particularly serious in terms of the nature of the offence.”
Considering this assessment, the EEA finds the conviction difficult to reconcile with established principles of freedom of expression.
Freedom of expression includes the protection of views that may be considered offensive, particularly where no incitement to violence or demonstrable harm is present. This case is further notable given that two lower courts acquitted the defendants and the police initially declined to investigate.
The pamphlet was originally written for a church audience and expresses theological convictions, including an affirmation of the dignity and value of all people. While recognising that some of the wording may be experienced as offensive by some, the threshold for criminalising expression should remain high.
The EEA affirms the dignity and protection of all people, including those who identify as LGBTQ+, and rejects all forms of hatred and violence. At the same time, it is deeply concerned that this ruling lowers the threshold for criminalising peaceful expression and risks setting a troubling precedent for freedom of expression and religion across Europe.
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