Justice
Posted on 03/30/2022 5:43:03 AM PDT by shadowlands1960
A Finnish court has upheld the right to free speech by dismissing all charges against Finnish MP Päivi Räsänen and Bishop Juhana Pohjola over their religious views.
In a unanimous ruling the court concluded that “it is not for the district court to interpret biblical concepts”. The prosecution was ordered to pay more than €60,000 in legal costs and has seven days to appeal the ruling.
The former minister of the interior had been charged with “hate speech” for sharing her faith-based views on marriage and sexual ethics, in a 2019 tweet, a 2019 radio debate, and a 2004 pamphlet.
The bishop faced charges for publishing Räsänen’s pamphlet for his congregation over 17 years ago. Their case has garnered global media attention this year, as human rights experts voiced concern over the threat this case posed to free speech in Finland.
“I am so grateful the court recognized the threat to free speech and ruled in our favour. I feel a weight has been lifted off my shoulders after being acquitted. Although I am grateful for having had this chance to stand up for freedom of speech, I hope that this ruling will help prevent others from having to go through the same ordeal,” said Ms Räsänen after her victory.
Her defence, supported by the legal advocacy organization ADF International, argued that finding Ms Räsänen guilty would significantly damage free speech in Finland. What Ms Räsänen said, they argued, was an expression of Christian teaching.
The court recognised that while some may object to Ms Räsänen’s statements, “there must be an overriding social reason for interfering with and restricting freedom of expression”. It concluded there was no such justification.
Well, that is certainly VERY good news. Sadly, I suspect many American judges would rule the opposite.
Shocked! Shocked, I tell ya! No, no sarcasm this time. I really am shocked.
Free speech in Europe? The world is full of surprises.
Wow…the concept of ‘free speech’ is still a thing somewhere?
Finland is marching to save the Western World from self-immolation. Good luck.
There is an entire movement around this notion called "common good constitutionalism" which is trying to free constitutional interpretation from the strict bounds of archaic originalism, while also opposing the progressive efforts to sack the constitution.
I am skeptical and critical, but it is worth following. Look up Adrian Vermeule as a good start on understanding what it is about. My principal concern has been their overly optimistic view of the soundness of bureaucratic discretion in administrative law, which is how the noose of totalitarianism is being thrown over all of this.
I’m frankly shocked.
But the wringer she was put through serves as an effective deterent to others who would execise free speech. By design.
I find it interesting that prosecutors can be fined in Finland... perhaps an innovation we should make here.
It’s interesting that the Finnish Constitution https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Finland_2011.pdf?lang=en does not include Freedom of Speech for citizens. That’s part of the US Bill of Rights aka First Amendment. Apparently the Finnish courts imported those doctrines. Just like Canadians claiming US Second Amendment rights in Canada.
Apparently the US did some things right that other nations are incorporating into their own legal doctrines and frameworks.
Well, some good news for a change.
Meanwhile, our Supreme Court rules that the government can force you to have an experimental substance injected into you against your will.
“Justice”
That concept is SO FAR GONE in the US that we’re shocked to see it actually applied elsewhere.
Talk about ironic. Other nation’s courts our implementing our US Constitution in their own nations better than many of our own US courts. Sigh.
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