Tags

Sweden

• Pastor Acquitted of Hate Crime

  

  The November 16 Persecution and Prayer Alert reported that Swedish pastor Ake Green had appeared before Swedish Supreme Court on charges that he had violated the country's hate propaganda laws (for more information, click here).  We are pleased to report that he was acquitted on November 29 of all charges.  In his ruling, Supreme Court Justice Johan Munck said the court was obliged to follow European Union guidelines in handing down the acquittal.

• Swedish Pastor's Case Heard by Supreme Court

  

  In June 2004, Pastor Ake Green was convicted of spreading hatred against homosexuals as a result of a June 2003 sermon.  This conviction was overturned on appeal, but the prosecutor appealed to the Supreme Court.  Green appeared before the court on November 9.  The Court heard a recording of his sermon to determine whether it violated the country's hate propaganda laws.  A ruling will be made at a later date yet to be announced. For more details on this story, click here.

  (Source: Evangelical Fellowship of Canada)

• Update on Swedish Pastor

  

  Sweden's Supreme Court announced on May 9 that it would review the acquittal of Pentecostal pastor Ake Green, who faced criminal charges over a sermon on homosexuality.  In February, an appeals court threw out a conviction under Sweden's hate crimes law, saying it is not illegal to preach a personal interpretation of the Bible.  Sweden's chief prosecutor Fredrik Wersaell then appealed to the Supreme Court.  For more details, including a link a transcript of his sermon, click here.

• Case of Hate Speech Appealed to Supreme Court

  

  In June 2004, Pastor Ake Green was convicted of spreading hatred against homosexuals as a result of a June 2003 sermon.  This conviction was overturned by an appeals court in February 2005 (click here for details).

  Today, March 9, it was announced by the Swedish news agency, "The Local" that the prosecutor is appealing the acquittal to the Supreme Court.  Speaking to the press, Green can see benefits to the appeal. "If I am found not guilty in the Supreme Court it will send a strong signal to the legal profession and the rest of society," he said.  If the Supreme Court convicts him, he intends to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights. To read a transcript of the original sermon, click here.

• Hatred Laws Face Churches in Britain and Sweden

  The British government is seeking to extend its existing hate crimes law to include "religious hatred." The proposed legislation, Schedule 10 of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Bill, passed the House of Commons on February 7 and is now before the House of Lords.  There are concerns that, if this legislation passes, religious leaders and organizations may experience some of the same difficulties as found in Victoria State, Australia where two Christian speakers were recently found guilty of vilification of Muslims under the state's "Racial and Religious Tolerance Act" (click here for details).

  Similar legislation led to the conviction of Swedish pastor, Ake Green, in June 2004 (click here for details). On February 11, however, the Goeta Appeals Court overturned Green's conviction.  While pleased with the verdict, Green expects the case to move on to the Supreme Court. 

  Thank God for the acquittal of Pastor Green.  Pray that the case will not be appealed to the Supreme Court. Pray for Christian leaders in western nations who need wisdom to know how to respond to hate speech laws designed to protect people but which are being increasingly being used to silence Christian opinion. To read a transcript of Green's sermon which led to the charges, click here. 

• Pastor Imprisoned for Offending Homosexuals

  Soren Andersson, RFSL

  A Swedish court has sentenced Pentecostal pastor Ake Green to a month in prison, after he was found guilty of offending homosexuals in a 2003 sermon. According to a June 30 report from Ecumenical News International, Green had described homosexuality as "abnormal, a horrible cancerous tumour in the body of society."

  Responding to the sentence, Soren Andersson, the president of the Swedish federation for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights (RFSL), said that religious freedom could never be used as a reason to offend people.

  Sweden passed a constitutional amendment in 2002, including sexual orientation in a list of groups protected against "unfavorable speech." A similar law (Bill C-250) was passed recently in Canada. While opinions based on a religious text were excluded from the Canadian law, many advocates fear that this clause may prove insufficient to protect Canadian clergy from similar action.

  Pray that Christian leaders throughout the world will be willing to stand for the truth of the Bible, despite laws opposing them. For the first time in their thirty year history, The Voice of the Martyrs will be focusing on religious liberty in Canada in the August edition of their monthly publication. To receive your copy, subscribe today to The Voice of the Martyrs publication (click here).