Summary
A Swedish Pastor was sentenced to one month in jail after giving a sermon in which he said homosexuality was a "deep cancerous tumour" in society. However the Supreme Court of Sweden acquitted him on appeal.
In July 2003 Pastor Ake Green from Sweden was arrested after giving a sermon in which he stated that homosexuality was a "deep cancerous tumour in the entire society." He also upheld the traditional view of marriage as being a male-female relationship; and asserted that homosexuality is a choice, and that one can not be a Christian and a practicing homosexual. He also said that adoption by homosexuals is wrong.1
He was charged under Sweden's 'hate crime' laws and convicted with inciting hatred against homosexuals. Sweden's hate crime legislation was extended in 2003 to cover agitation against homosexuals.2 Pastor Green was sentenced to one month in jail. The maximum sentence is 4 years. He became the first clergyman convicted under Sweden's hate crimes legislation.3
His conviction was overturned in 2005 when the appeal court ruled that Green's remarks did not constitute incitement to hatred against homosexuals, going no further than the Bible itself.4 However, Sweden's chief prosecutor appealed the acquittal to the Supreme Court of Sweden (SCS) and argued that the sentence should be increased to six months. The SCS decided it was likely that the European Court of Human Rights would find it unlawful to convict Ake Green for the statements he made in his sermon. And so, in November 2005, the SCS affirmed the judgment of the Court of Appeal and dismissed the charge.5
Before his Supreme Court hearing he told the Swedish news agency TT: "I think you should be able to speak about your convictions without having to go to jail and I want to show that this is how crazy it can get".6
- 1CBN News, see http://www.cbn.com/CBNNews/News/040907aa.asp as at 19 June 2006
- 2Supreme Court of Sweden, Press Release, 29 November 2005, see http://hogstadomstolen.se/2005/PRESSMEDDELANDE%20B%201050-05%20engelska.pdf as at 19 June 2006
- 3Townsville Bulletin, 12 November 2005; The Independent, 12 February 2005
- 4See http://www.sweden.se/templates/cs/NewsML____12744.aspx?newsid=1163 as at 19 June 2006
- 5Supreme Court of Sweden, Press Release, 29 November 2005, see http://hogstadomstolen.se/2005/PRESSMEDDELANDE%20B%201050-05%20engelska.pdf as at 19 June 2006
- 6See http://www.sweden.se/templates/cs/NewsML____12744.aspx?newsid=1163 as at 19 June 2006
