The case of two prominent Finlanders who stand accused of “hate speech” for publicly expressing their orthodox Christian beliefs on sexual morality will be heard in the Supreme Court of Finland tomorrow.

Finnish parliamentarian Dr. Päivi Räsänen Räsänen, the country’s former Minister of the Interior, faces two criminal charges for expressing her deeply held beliefs on marriage and sexuality—through a 2019 tweet and a 2004 pamphlet which was later re-published by Lutheran Bishop, Juhana Pohjola.

The Supreme Court’s decision will set a precedent for the future of free speech and freedom of religion in Finland and across Europe.

“In a free society, it should never be a crime to share a Bible verse or express beliefs rooted in faith. The burden of the legal ordeal of the past few years has been challenging, but I remain hopeful that justice will prevail — not only for me, but for the wider principle of free speech in Finland. No one should face criminal charges for peacefully voicing their convictions,” said Räsänen ahead of the trial.

The defendants have already won two unanimous acquittals in lower courts but the prosecuting authorities appealed the case to the Supreme Court.

She was objecting to the Lutheran Church, to which she belongs, supporting a Pride march and tweeted a verse from the bible which begins: “Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another.”