(FOX NEWS) — While most Americans were still asleep Monday morning, Finnish member of Parliament Päivi Räsänen and Lutheran Bishop Juhana Pohjola entered a courtroom in Helsinki, Finland. They are on trial for their faith in court proceedings that began three weeks ago, concluding an almost three-year-long campaign of legal harassment from the Finnish government. They and the prosecution made their final arguments Tuesday.
Päivi Räsänen, a 62-year-old medical doctor and grandmother of seven, faces three charges of so-called “ethnic agitation” for expressing her belief in the teachings of the Bible by having published a pamphlet on marriage in 2004, for taking part in a discussion on a radio show in 2019, and for a tweet with a picture of a Bible passage. For this, she faces up to two years in prison if convicted.
Meanwhile, Bishop Pohjola faces a single charge of “ethnic agitation” for merely hosting Räsänen’s booklet on his church’s website — that’s it. If convicted, Bishop Pohjola faces the prospect of two years in prison as well.