Päivi Räsänen has spent decades in Finnish politics. Sheâs served in Parliament since 1995, sheâs a grandmother, and over the last several years sheâs become one of Europeâs most closely watched figures in the debate over religious liberty. Now, she says those legal battles have spilled beyond Finlandâs borders in a way she never expected.
Räsänen revealed that she has been barred from entering the United Kingdom after British authorities revoked an electronic travel authorization that had already been approved.
Now, stay with me, because this wasnât simply a vacation that fell apart.
She was scheduled to travel to Northern Ireland in August to speak at a conference and meet with lawmakers. According to The Christian Post, the authorization allowing her to enter the country was canceled without any explanation.
Thatâs the part she says has been especially frustrating. She wasnât told why the permission disappeared. It simply did.
The decision has already disrupted other travel plans. After attending a conference in California, Räsänen had intended to return home through Londonâs Heathrow Airport. Instead, she changed her itinerary and flew through Dallas to avoid passing through the United Kingdom.
This latest development comes after years of legal proceedings in Finland centered on comments she made about Christian teachings on marriage and sexuality.
Earlier this year, Finlandâs Supreme Court found Räsänen guilty of hate speech in connection with a pamphlet she wrote back in 2004 titled As Man and Woman He Created Them. According to Alliance Defending Freedom International, the booklet outlined traditional biblical views on marriage and family.
She also faced prosecution over a 2019 social media post that included a screenshot of Romans 1:24-27, a passage from the New Testament discussing same-sex relations. Those cases transformed what began as domestic legal disputes into an international conversation about the limits of religious speech.
Räsänen says the consequences now extend well beyond the courtroom.
âThe Supreme Courtâs closely divided ruling has had unexpected consequences,â she said, according to The Christian Post.
âIn addition to restricting freedom of expression, it has also created restrictions and difficulties related to travel and participation in meetings and conferences.â
Then she explained what worries her most.
âMy greatest concern is that this decision has left many people with uncertainty, confusion and fear about the consequences of exercising their freedom of speech and religion in a peaceful manner, and about where the line lies between lawful and prohibited speech.â
And sheâs not the only one encountering travel problems.
Lutheran Bishop Juhana Pohjola, who was prosecuted alongside Räsänen for publishing the same pamphlet, says he has also been denied entry into the United Kingdom.
According to Pohjola, British authorities informed him: âWe are satisfied that you have been convicted of a criminal offense in the U.K. or overseas within the last 12 months.â
For him, the impact goes far beyond missing a single event.
âThis not only causes practical difficulties to serve as bishop in my church body and as chairman of the International Lutheran Council, but it also labels me as a criminal whom many countries want to prevent from entering,â he said.
Alliance Defending Freedom International, which has represented Räsänen throughout her legal battles, argues that the legal process itself has become a punishment.
The organization contends that prosecutors have treated her religious beliefs as criminal conduct and have sought to make her case an example for others who publicly express similar views.