Dear John,

I am writing you to provide a brief update about Päivi Räsänen's case. As you may recall, Päivi is under legal attack for tweeting a Bible verse and expressing her sincerely held beliefs -- beliefs I believe you and I share, along with hundreds of millions of Christians.

CitizenGO was present at the second hearing in Helsinki. Prior to the event, we had the good fortune to meet her: Päivi welcomed us with great pleasure and thanked us for our presence and support not only to us who were able to be on site, but to all members of CitizenGO worldwide. She was cheerful and calm as always.

On the morning of the trial, sympathizers gathered in front of the District Court building, to which we joined. Päivi gave a short speech and thanked everyone for their support.

PAIVI_HEARING_PLAY.jpg

If you do not have Facebook, here is a link to watch on YouTube.

The trial was followed in a media room reserved for press staff. The prosecutor made many false charges against Päivi, and the charges stood weak. The defense easily refuted the allegations, argued logically, and relied solely on the facts.

Päivi remained optimistic by the end of the long day of negotiations, for as she put it: God always wins.

The verdict has been postponed and will be announced on March 30th. An appeal is possible against the judgment at first instance, in which case the case goes to the Court of Appeal and, if necessary, to the Supreme Court. Päivi won't give up: she sees that his cause is not only important to her, but will affect the whole of Europe.

We delivered a symbolic gift to Päivi on behalf of all CitizenGO, to recognize her courge. The present was a engrave pen with the reference to a Bible verse “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”. 

Päivi thanked CitizenGO in particular for her activity, which she called very encouraging. 

“It’s unbelievable to me how much support I have, people I haven’t even met. They keep an eye on my case and add their names. I am also very grateful for the prayers that I and my country need!”

I will keep you updated about this case.

Thank you for your support, thank you for defending religious freedom and freedom of speech!

Renata, Sebastian, Miriam, Gregory and the entire CitizenGO team

P.S. Want to support CitizenGO's work? The CitizenGO community will work every moment, day by day and year by year, to defend life, family and freedom. And to do it CitizenGO needs your ongoing support, now more than ever. If this is work you are proud of and you have the means, please consider making a contribution to our movement. An amount as little as $7 means we can keep up the fight.