Washington Post editorial contains factual errors in defense of Päivi Räsänen

The Washington Post has published an editorial defending Finnish MP Päivi Räsänen’s conviction for incitement against a minority group, but the piece contains multiple factual inaccuracies, reports Finnish public broadcaster Yle.

The editorial, titled “Finland’s free speech farce,” incorrectly states that Räsänen was convicted over a 2004 pamphlet. In reality, Finland’s Supreme Court ruled that the conviction concerned the republication of the pamphlet on her Facebook page in November 2019 and her website in February 2020—not the original 2004 text.

The court also clarified that the conviction was not based on religious expression but on medical claims presented within a religious framework, which do not fall under protections for freedom of religion. The Post omitted this distinction, instead framing the case as a restriction on “wrong opinions.”

Räsänen received a 20-day fine, totaling €1,800 based on her income.

The Supreme Court explicitly separated religious views from verifiably false medical statements in its ruling. Eero Hyvönen, chair of Finland’s Council for Mass Media, told Yle that while offensive speech remains permitted, the case hinged on how opinions are expressed—particularly when they involve discriminatory or medically unfounded claims.

The Post also misrepresented a dismissed charge related to Räsänen’s social media criticism of the church’s Pride event collaboration, calling it a “blasphemy accusation” and citing two religious websites.

The U.S. Embassy in Finland has separately expressed concern over the ruling.