
The Courage of Her Convictions: An Interview with Päivi Räsänen
“I never thought that citing the Bible and agreeing with it could be criminal.” — Päivi Räsänen

“I never thought that citing the Bible and agreeing with it could be criminal.” — Päivi Räsänen

Finland explicitly says “violations against human rights and religious freedom cannot be tolerated anywhere;” just days later, a politician is put on trial for expressing her religious convictions. Nina Shea captured the irony with biting concision: “Finland acts like a pyromaniac at home and like a fireman for Pakistan when it comes to freedoms of religion and speech.”

Criminalizing the speech of half a billion people is a serious matter and those pushing for it must come up with something more convincing than ‘hate is hate.’ Enough is enough!

Beyond her personal case, Päivi Räsänen is well aware that her struggle is much broader: “It is my honor to defend freedom of speech and religion.”