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Hungary’s junior ruling KDNP (Christian Democrats) has called on Finland to observe the principles of freedom of religion and conscience.
In a statement on Monday, the party’s deputy leader, Imre Vejkey, said the Christian Democrats took a stand for Finnish MP Paivi Räsänen, who faces possible imprisonment for tweeting a biblical quote.
According to press reports, the former interior minister is on trial after being accused of engaging in “hate speech” in connection with public comments she made describing homosexuality as a “disorder of psychosexual development” and labeling homosexuals as “dysfunctional”. Her tweet was accompanied by a picture of a Bible passage describing homosexual acts as “shameful” and “unnatural.”
Räsänen has denied the charges and says she acted in the name of “freedom of expression and religion,” adding that “I hope it will be clear today that I do not wish to offend any group of people, but that it is about saving people for eternal life.”
The Christian Democrats said the criminal procedure was “unacceptable”. “This is manifestly a liberal dictatorship,” the statement said.
Faith expressed through a quote from the Bible should not be criminalized by Finland or any other EU member state, the statement said, adding: “This is Christian persecution.”
In the featured photo: KDNP MP Imre Vejkey. Photo by Szilárd Koszticsák/MTI
