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3 April 2026
Finland
Although unanimously acquitting her of a hate speech crime for a Bible verse tweet in 2019, the Finnish Supreme Court has found Christian parliamentarian Päivi Räsänen guilty of “hate speech” for co-publishing a 2004 pamphlet in which she expressed her sincerely-held religious convictions, and allowing it to remain accessible to the public. She was fined €1800 and ordered to remove and destroy the offensive statements. Mrs. Räsänen is considering an appeal to the European Court of Human Rights.
Pakistan
On 25 March, a two-judge panel of Pakistan’s Federal Constitutional Court upheld the marriage of a 13-year-old Christian girl to a 30-year-old Muslim man, ruling that Maria Shahbaz was of ‘mature age’ and therefore in the lawful custody of her ‘husband’. Maria’s family maintain that she was abducted on 29 July and then forcibly converted and married to her abductor, Shehryar Ahmad. Since her abduction the family have repeatedly sought judicial intervention to rescue her, without success.
Iran
Human rights advocates are appealing for sustained prayer for Christians imprisoned in Iran and now out of contact because of the ongoing conflict. The case of Simin Soheilinia (48) has been highlighted as she was due for release prior to the commencement of hostilities, but nothing has been heard of her since the conflict started. You can read more about Simin’s case and the ongoing situation facing Christian prisoners and prisoners of conscience. |