Subject: 6 years of persecution and 3 trials. All for sharing a Bible verse!

From	Christopher Joyce <[email protected]>
Subject	6 years of persecution and 3 trials. All for sharing a Bible verse!
Date	October 20, 2025 10:11 PM

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While Päivi Räsänen should be enjoying time with her eleven grandchildren, she is instead preparing to stand trial for the third time. For nothing more than sharing her Christian convictions, she has been dragged through interrogations, court hearings, and public attacks. Yet through it all, she has stood firm—never apologising for her faith, never backing down from the truth. Now is the time to stand with her. Sign today to protect freedom of speech for all and send a message of support to Päivi before 30 October.
SIGN THE PETITION

Dear John,

For six years, Päivi Räsänen—mother of five and grandmother of eleven—has lived under a cloud no citizen should endure: a criminal prosecution for quoting the Bible in public. It started in June 2019. Päivi questioned her church’s sponsorship of the Helsinki Pride parade, on X, and included a passage from the book of Romans.  That short post triggered a criminal investigation. What followed next was a shocking example of gross persecution: <ul> <li>13+ hours of police interrogations spread across multiple sessions—probing not just the post, but her beliefs. </li> <li>A prosecutorial trawl through her public life, pulling a 2004 pamphlet on marriage and sexuality and a 2019 radio interview, treating ordinary Christian teaching like contraband. </li> <li>In April 2021, the Prosecutor General charged her with “agitation against a minority group”, filed under a section of the criminal code that also lists war crimes and crimes against humanity. </li> <li>Lutheran Bishop Juhana Pohjola was also charged, simply for publishing a 2004 pamphlet Päivi had written defending Biblical teaching about marriage and sexuality, titled “Male and Female He Created Them.”</li> </ul> They are being persecuted for sharing quotes from the Bible and daring to believe them.  They are being persecuted for doing it over 20 years ago! This attack on Päivi Räsänen is just the beginning—our very beliefs are in the crosshairs, and we must fight back.
Please sign the petition I have prepared for you demanding the Finnish Government defend freedom of speech and religion and set an example for the world.
Twice already, Finland’s courts have spoken clearly. In March 2022, the District Court of Helsinki acquitted Päivi and Bishop Pohjola unanimously, ruling that quoting Scripture is not a crime and that courts are not competent to interpret biblical theology. In November 2023, the Court of Appeal unanimously upheld that acquittal. Yet the prosecution refuses to stop. On October 30, Päivi faces a third round, this time at Finland’s Supreme Court. This case has always been bigger than just one social media post. It asks whether a citizen may state basic Christian teaching in public without fear of criminal punishment. A ruling against Päivi would send a chilling message across pulpits, classrooms, media, and family tables: that Scripture itself can be treated as “hate speech.” A ruling for Päivi, by contrast, would be historic. It would be a landmark defense of freedom of speech and freedom of religion—in Finland and across Europe. Europe’s freedom of speech is walking a knife’s edge. Vague, subjective “hate speech” and “misinformation” standards are increasingly used to police peaceful expression: <ul> <li>In England, citizens have been detained and questioned for silent prayer near abortion facilities, even prayers offered on private property. </li> <li>In Scotland and Ireland, sweeping speech proposals risk criminalizing ordinary conversations. </li> <li>One nation’s demands and attacks on free speech lead to impacts across borders as platforms are forced to enforce the strictest rules or face penalties.</li> </ul> A Supreme Court precedent in Finland will carry weight far beyond Helsinki—affecting pastors, teachers, parents, journalists, and any believer who dares to quote the Bible in public. If they’re not stopped, that may one day include you, your church, and your children. The laws are being shaped now, and they are shaped by public accountability. Every signature we deliver tells Finland’s leaders: the world is watching, and criminalizing Scripture is a red line.
Stand in solidarity with Päivi now. Sign the petition and let Finland’s leaders know that believers everywhere are watching—and that this injustice cannot be ignored.
Your signature will: <ul> <li>Signal to the Court and government that this case has global attention. </li> <li>Encourage media to cover the story fairly, not as a fringe dispute. </li> <li>Show Päivi and Bishop Pohjola that they are not alone—that courage begets courage.</li> </ul> On October 30, CitizenGO will be in Helsinki—inside the courthouse and outside, with a peaceful presence that cannot be ignored. We will deliver your signatures to Finland’s leaders. We will support local allies, brief media, and ensure the public sees more than headlines—they see the human reality: a grandmother on trial for Christian belief. We will carry your encouragement directly to Päivi and Bishop Pohjola so they know they are backed by hundreds of thousands around the world. Today, it is Päivi on trial. Tomorrow, it could be your pastor, your colleague, your child’s teacher—or you. The principle is simple: If quoting Scripture becomes a crime, everyone loses.
Please add your name now—stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Päivi and declare, with one voice: faith is not a crime.
With you for free speech,
Christopher Joyce and the entire CitizenGO Team
P.S. We want to greet Päivi with hundreds of thousands of messages of support before the Supreme Court hearing on October 30. Each signature means more than you think. Sign now.
References: - Free Speech on Trial [ADF International]:<a href= "[link removed]" target="_blank" > [link removed]</a> - US State Department Speaks Out in Support of Parliamentarian Prosecuted for Bible-Verse Post: “In a Democracy, No One Should Face Trial for Peacefully Sharing Their Beliefs” [ADF International]:<a href= "[link removed]" target="_blank" > [link removed]</a> - Finnish Hate Speech Case Headed to Supreme Court [International Christian Concern]:<a href= "[link removed]" target="_blank" > [link removed] </a>

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