A Romanian Christian couple has been separated from their daughters for more than three years after Swedish child protective services removed them over allegations of “religious extremism”
Bianca and Daniel Samson, the Romanian couple, were backed by advocates from the Romanian American Community after they protested outside the Swedish Embassy in Washington.
The couple has been separated from their children, Sara and Tiana, since December 2022.
The issue arose from a false abuse claim involving Sara, who was 11 at the time, following an argument about her parents restricting her use of makeup and a smartphone.
According to the Alliance Defending Freedom International (ADF), an organization supporting the family, “…the eldest made a false report at school – triggered by her parents’ refusal to allow her a mobile phone and the use of makeup, a claim she later retracted, but nonetheless prompted allegations of ‘religious extremism.’”
“The couple of Romanian origin, who had been residing in Sweden for close to a decade, claim that Swedish authorities have since ignored the best interests of their children by refusing to reunite the family – even after the only allegations were dropped and prosecutors found no evidence of abuse,” the report stated.
The authorities continued to refuse returning the girls, emphasizing that their attendance at church three times a week and their media choices were sufficient evidence of alleged religious extremism.
In court, Daniel said he and his wife were labeled religious extremists as a basis for separating their family. He added that lawyers pointed to household practices, including a ban on nail polish, not having a television, and reading Bible stories, which officials reportedly described as violent.
The Samson’s case has drawn support from the Romanian government as Romanian Senator Titus Corlatean and Chicago Pastor Cristian Ionescu traveled to Washington, to join the protest in support of the Samson family.
Corlatean stated that the two girls are Romanian citizens and claimed that Sweden was keeping the sisters despite Romania’s wishes, which he said violated both diplomatic relations with Romania and international law.
Daniel claimed that both daughters had attempted suicide, and that the oldest child had been transferred to an adult psychiatric ward.
According to a Christian Post report, Corlatean said, “The daughters constantly ask to rejoin their parents and return to Romania, and that welfare officials keep falsely claiming the girls don’t want to come back.”
Swedish authorities were urged to release the girls back to their family by Romanian lawmakers, as the Senate approved a resolution. But they did not take any action to comply. Corlatean stated that they only showed a willingness to cooperate, but took no action to resolve the issue.
The family has lost several legal cases in their efforts to reunite with their daughters.
Guillermo A. Morales Sancho, a lawyer for ADF stated, “We deeply regret the court’s decision to reject this case, considering that this family has been torn apart for over three years despite a full investigation that cleared Mr. and Mrs. Samson of any abuse and the fact that the social services certified their capacity and fitness for parenting after they successfully completed an official training.
“Families should be free to live according to their convictions without fear of losing their children to the state.”
