She added: “I am ready to defend freedom of speech and religion in all necessary courts. As far as the European Court of Human rights, if necessary.”
After a trial that drew international attention, the Helsinki District Court declared in a unanimous 28-page ruling on March 30 that “it is not for the district court to interpret biblical concepts.”
It said that Räsänen had sought to “defend the concept of family and marriage between a man and a woman.” If some people found the statements offensive, it said, “there must be an overriding social reason for interfering with and restricting freedom of expression.”
It ordered the state to pay legal costs to the defense of more than 60,000 euros (around $66,000).
The charges against Räsänen relate to her comments in a 2004 pamphlet, her appearance in a 2018 radio debate, and a Twitter post in 2019.
The Prosecutor General charged Räsänen with incitement against a minority group, arguing that her statements were “likely to cause intolerance, contempt, and hatred towards homosexuals.”
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