Finnish Parliamentarian Acquitted of Hate Speech Charges for Bible Tweet

The Helsinki Court of Appeal has dismissed all charges against Finnish Member of Parliament Päivi Räsänen and Lutheran Bishop Juhana Pohjola, who were both tried for "hate speech" after publicly expressing their Christian beliefs. Räsänen was charged for sharing her Christian beliefs on marriage and sexual ethics in a tweet, radio debate, and church pamphlet, while Bishop Pohjola was charged for publishing the pamphlet. The court upheld the District Court's unanimous acquittal, stating that there was no reason to alter the judgment. The case has drawn global attention and raised concerns about the threat to free speech.