Finnish parliamentarian Päivi Räsänen has appealed to the European Court of Human Rights after being convicted by Finland's Supreme Court for statements contained in a 2004 Christian booklet on marriage and sexual ethics.
The appeal marks the latest stage in a seven-year legal case which has raised questions over the limits of freedom of expression and religious freedom in Finland.
Dr Räsänen, a former Finnish Interior Minister, was convicted in March, alongside Lutheran Bishop Juhana Pohjola and the Luther Foundation Finland, which published the booklet.
The Supreme Court ordered those involved to pay fines and ruled that the disputed statements should be 'removed from public access and destroyed'.
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