A Christian couple from Sweden has exhausted their legal options to regain custody of their two eldest daughters after Europe’s top human rights court rejected their case earlier this month.

On March 10, 2026, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) ruled the application by Daniel and Bianca Samson inadmissible, citing a failure to exhaust all domestic legal remedies in Sweden. The decision is final and cannot be appealed.

The case dates back to December 2022, when Swedish child protection services removed the couple’s daughters—Sara, then 11, and Tiana, then 10—from their home. The action followed a report the eldest daughter made at school alleging abuse, stemming from a parental decision to deny her a mobile phone and permission to wear makeup. The girl later retracted the claim, and prosecutors found no evidence of abuse.

Despite the retraction and clearance, authorities did not return the children. Instead, child protection services cited the family’s regular church attendance—three times per week—and parenting restrictions as indicators of “religious extremism.” The girls were placed in separate foster homes, where they have reportedly moved through at least three placements since June 2023 and have been kept apart from each other. The parents are permitted only monthly supervised visits.

Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) International, which has supported the family’s legal efforts, described the state’s pivot to “religious extremism” allegations as targeting ordinary Christian practices. The organization noted that the parents completed required training programs and were certified as fit by social services, yet reunification has been denied.

The Samsons, Romanian citizens who have lived in Sweden for nearly a decade and have seven children total, took their case to the ECtHR claiming violations of parental rights and family life protections under the European Convention on Human Rights. The court, however, declared the matter inadmissible on procedural grounds.

ADF International stated it is reviewing the ruling with the parents to determine possible next steps. The group emphasized concerns over state intervention in family religious practices absent evidence of harm.

The case has drawn attention from Christian advocacy outlets and international media, highlighting debates over religious freedom, parental rights, and child welfare policies in Sweden. The daughters, now teenagers, remain in state care with no immediate prospect of return to their family home.