Immediate Action Requested: Letter-Writing Campaign for the Johansson Family
In June 2010, HSLDA and the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) filed a joint application at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on behalf of the Johansson family. Since the Johanssons’ case has been heard at every level of the Swedish court system, the ECHR is the family’s only remaining recourse.
Although more than six months have now passed, the ECHR has failed to address the application, even though a special emergency measures order was requested. It is highly unusual that the Johanssons’ application still has not been assigned a case number. The court has also not responded to a letter requesting an explanation for the unusual delay. Instead, the application languishes while the Johanssons continue to endure the forced separation from their 9-year-old son Domenic.
Please take a few moments and take action on as many of the points below as possible. Thank you for standing with HSLDA as we fight for justice for this family.
1. Send a message to the ECHR, using the following example or your own words.
Dear Sir or Madam,
I am writing in reference to the application put before the European Court of Human Rights on behalf of Christer, Annie, and Dominic Johansson from Sweden.
Although the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) and the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) submitted this application in June 2010, I have been informed that the Court has yet to assign it a case number. Nor has the Court answered letters from the applicants inquiring why the ECHR has been so slow to respond to the application.
Justice should be swift, and this family needs your help.
The Johansson family has been denied the right to make decisions regarding their son’s education, the right to leave their country, and the right to select their own legal counsel. As a parent who enjoys the freedom to exercise my human rights, including the right of parents to direct the education of their children, the freedom of movement, the right to due process, I respectfully request that you explain why the Court has been so slow to respond to the Johansson’s application.
Yours sincerely,
[Your name]
Mail or fax letters to:
European Court of Human Rights
Council of Europe
67075 Strasbourg-Cedex
FRANCE
Fax : +33 (0)3 88 41 27 30
2. Send a note of encouragement to Christer Johansson.
Persecuted homeschoolers overseas have said again and again that the support of fellow homeschoolers and families from around the world is invaluable. You can send Christer a short note of encouragement at:
Christer and Annie Johansson
c/o Rune Johansson
Alva Gudings 363
623 46 Hemse
Sweden
3. Send a message to the Swedish judge involved in Christer’s case.
Please consider writing to the judge who is presiding over Christer's case. Suggested text from Friends of Domenic Johansson is below. Mail or email letters to:
Lagman Mikael Mellqvist
Gotlands tingsrätt
Box 1143
SE-62122 Visby
Seden
gotlands.tingsratt@dom.se
Swedish Text
Till Lagman Mikael Mellqvist
Jag är mycket oroad över hur svenska myndigheter och domstolar har behandlat Christer Johansson och över LVU- omhändertagandet av hans son Domenic Johansson. När Christer måndagen den 22 november 2010 tog med sig Domenic gjorde han en överilad handling.
Han är en kärleksfull far som inte längre kunde stå emot sin längtan efter sonen Domenic, som han bara har fått träffa 1 timme var femte vecka och då alltid övervakad av någon myndighetsperson.
Christer är ingen brottsling, men han har levt under oerhörd psykisk press och stress sedan 1,5 år tillbaka när de sociala myndigheterna beslöt att på ytterst tveksamma grunder tvångsomhänderta hans barn.
Jag vädjar till Er att låta Christer Johansson slippa straff och att ni respekterar de mänskliga rättigheterna som stadgas i Europakonventionen.
Vänligen, ________________________________
For Your Information Only
Below is the Swedish text translated into English for you to know what you are sending. Please send the message using Swedish text and not the English text below. The below text is simply for your information.
Swedish text translation in English:
To Judge Mikael Mellqvist
I am extremely worried about how the Swedish authorities and courts are treating Christer Johansson and the circumstances of the forceful abduction of his son Domenic by Gotland Social Services.
When Christer decided to bring his son home on Monday, 22 November 2010, it was the action of a man who had been driven to desperation.
Christer is a loving father who could no longer bear to be apart from his only son Domenic. A son who he had only been able to see for one hour every five weeks and then always under close supervision by authorities.
Christer Johansson is not a criminal, but he has had to endure huge psychological stress and pressure for the past one and a half years, ever since the Social Services took away his son on the weakest of pretexts.
I entreat you to please respect Christer Johansson’s human rights in accordance with the European Convention on Human Rights. Please ensure that justice is served and that Christer Johansson is released without further punishment.
Kindly,
Background
In June 2009 Swedish police boarded a plane where the Johanssons were leaving the country for Mrs. Johansson’s home country of India. The police had no warrant and did not charge the Johanssons with a crime.
The family continues to be kept apart through the deplorable actions of Swedish government officials. Nine-year-old Domenic remains in state foster care, now separated from his parents Christer and Annie for over 18 months. Christer, who took Domenic home for a short but “unapproved” overnight visit in early December, is still imprisoned.
Source
“Parents have the right and authority to make decisions regarding their children’s education without government interference,” said ADF Legal Counsel Roger Kiska, who is based in Europe. “A government trying to create a cookie-cutter child in its own image should not be allowed to violate this basic and fundamental human right. The refusal of Swedish authorities to respect that right has left us no choice but to take this case to the European Court of Human Rights.”
The Swedish Social Services Committee, originally scheduled to discuss this situation two weeks ago, will now convene on Wednesday, May 12, 2010 to discuss what to do with 7-year-old Dominic Johansson. If you have not already done so, HSLDA urges you to email or phone the members of the Social Services Committee and request that Dominic be returned to his parents, Christer and Annie Johansson. This tragic situation is important to everyone concerned about the future of parental freedoms. Please take a moment to support the Johannson family in this way.
Swedish authorities will convene soon to decide what to do about seven-year-old Dominic Johansson, who was seized by Swedish police and social workers last year because his parents chose to educate him at home.The Home School Legal Defense Association reports they have learned that the "Swedish Social Services Committee" has scheduled to meet on April 23 to decide whether or not they will return custody of Dominic to his parents, Christer and Annie Johansson.In June,…
