The state prosecutor has asked the Supreme Court for leave to appeal a lower court's acquittal of Christian Democrat MP Päivi Räsänen on three counts of incitement to hatred.
The charges were related to written and spoken statements she had made about homosexuality. Räsänen has been very open about her opinions about homosexuality over the years, repeatedly saying that she did not blame homosexual people themselves, but rather their actions.
The veteran politician was acquitted of the charges by Helsinki District Court, a decision that was upheld by an appeals court last November.
According to the prosecutor, it is important that the Supreme Court take a position on how people's various fundamental rights should be weighed against possible repercussions from those exercising their rights.
In this case, the main issue is finding the balance between the freedom of expression and religion to laws prohibiting discrimination, according to the prosecutor, as well as determining the point at which certain types of expression can be considered as hate speech.
The case has attracted a good deal of interest around the world, including from an international conservative Christian organisation which has offered Räsänen support for her defence since 2019.
Räsänen, 64, has been an MP since 1995. She led the Christian Democrats party from 2004 to 2015, serving as interior minister for the last four years of her term.
