Swedish authorities labeled Samson family religious extremists for frequent church attendance By Kristine Parks - Fox News Published March 17, 2026
Swedish authorities labeled Samson family religious extremists for frequent church attendance
A Christian couple’s years-long fight to regain custody of their daughters from the Swedish government was dealt a major setback last week after a top European court rejected their plea for help.
The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) ruled the case brought by Daniel and Bianca Samson “inadmissible” on March 10, a final decision that cannot be appealed.
According to Alliance Defending Freedom International, which supported the family’s application before the ECtHR, the children have been separated from their parents since December 2022.
ADF International said the case began after the couple’s eldest daughter, Sara, then 11, made a false abuse report at school following a fight with her parents over not being allowed to have a smartphone or wear makeup. ADF International said the girl quickly retracted the allegation and that prosecutors found no evidence of abuse, but the Swedish state refused to return the children.
According to the legal group, the state cited the family’s habit of attending church three times a week and their parenting choices as evidence of “religious extremism” and justification for keeping the children.
The girls have pleaded to be reunited with their parents and have suffered worsening mental and physical health, according to ADF International. Their parents reported that both girls attempted suicide while in state care.
The parents have completed state-mandated parenting courses and were later deemed fit to parent, according to the legal group, but they still have not been reunited with their daughters. They have also allegedly sought to move the girls into foster care in their home country of Romania, but have been denied.
The European Court of Human Rights “deemed the case inadmissible on the grounds of failure to exhaust legal remedies in Sweden,” ADF International said, despite the Swedish Supreme Court refusing to hear the family’s case in 2025.
The European Court of Human Rights told Fox News Digital it considers cases on a “case by case basis” and does not provide comment “on general events or matters.” The court also said a single judge declared the case inadmissible, according to its guidelines.
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