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Finnish Supreme Court Convicts Christian Democrat MP Päivi Räsänen for Incitement Against Ethnic Group

Crime & justiceCrime
Key Points
  • Finnish Christian Democrat MP Päivi Räsänen was convicted by the Supreme Court for two counts of incitement against an ethnic group.
  • She was reportedly sentenced to twenty day-fines for statements made about homosexual individuals in a written text.
  • Räsänen had previously been acquitted in both lower courts before the Supreme Court's reversal of those decisions.

The Supreme Court of Finland has convicted Christian Democratic MP Päivi Räsänen for two counts of incitement against an ethnic group, according to reports. Räsänen, a parliament member for the Christian Democrats (Kristdemokraterna), was reportedly sentenced to twenty day-fines. The conviction stems from a written text containing statements about homosexual individuals.

Previously, Räsänen had been acquitted in both the Helsinki District Court and the Court of Appeal before the Supreme Court's ruling. The case has drawn attention to issues of free speech and hate speech legislation in Finland.

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