Finnish Politician Wins After Facing Jail Time Over Bible Verse — but is the Battle Over?

A Finnish politician who faced a years-long legal battle for sharing her biblical views on sexuality has been found not guilty of hate speech for sharing a Bible verse, among other expressions. Dr. Päivi Räsänen, a member of Finland’s parliament whose religious freedom plight made international headlines, expressed relief after the Helsinki Court of Appeal unanimously dismissed the three criminal charges against her. "I am deeply relieved," Räsänen told CBN Digital. "The court has fully endorsed and upheld the decision of the District Court, which recognized everyone’s right to free speech." The politician continued, "It isn’t a crime to tweet a Bible verse, or to engage in public discourse with a Christian perspective." Räsänen, who recently described the elongated legal battle over her Christian beliefs as "absurd," "crazy," and akin to "medieval times," said the prosecutions have been personally difficult. But she hopes the conclusion of the case creates a "key precedent to protect the human right to free speech." "I sincerely hope other innocent people will be spared the same ordeal for simply voicing their convictions," Räsänen added. Finland's former interior minister has been vocal about her legal plight, telling CBN Digital months before her latest vindication she simply could not believe she has had to face two separate legal battles for merely sharing her Christian beliefs. In an interview after she was cleared of charges, she expanded upon her free speech and religious freedom battle, and explained why she hasn't been willing to back down. CBN News. Because Truth Matters™ Download the free CBN News App: http://cbnnews.com/app SUBSCRIBE to the CBN News Channel for more: http://youtube.com/c/CBNnewsonline/?s... SUBSCRIBE to the QuickStart Newsletter by visiting quickstart.news SUBSCRIBE to the Quickstart Podcast. New episodes every morning at 7am: cbn.com/cbnnews/quickstart What's coming up next? Have a look at our program guide: https://www.youtube.com/redirect?q=ht... CBN features 24-hour TV news from a Christian perspective. The CBN News Channel provides independent news programming to an underserved audience to enlighten, entertain and inspire Christians around the world. Comments below do not necessarily reflect the views of CBN. Share this live feed with your friends and family:    / cbnnewsonline   Like us on Facebook:   / cbnnews   Like us on Twitter:   / cbnnews   Follow us on Instagram:   / cbnnews   Contact News Editors: https://www.youtube.com/redirect?q=ht... Questions about other CBN programs: Visit WatchCBNNews.com or call (888) 700-7000. Questions about supporting CBN News? Visit JoinCBNNews.com or call (888) 700-7000 for more information. Questions about Helping the Home Front? Call: 800-700-7000 https://www.youtube.com/redirect?q=ht... #breakingnews #politicalnews #christiannews #christian #christianity #church #breakingnews #cbnnews