Court of appeal to consider homosexuality-related remarks of Räsänen

THE HELSINKI Court of Appeal has granted leave to appeal in the case surrounding the homosexuality-related statements of ex-Minister of the Interior Päivi Räsänen (CD).

The District Court of Helsinki in March acquitted Räsänen of three counts of ethnic agitation on grounds that her public statements about homosexuals – albeit derogatory – did not meet the elements of the offence or hate speech.