Apr 17, 2011

Next LVU Court Hearing Set for May 11

Domenic, during his November 2010 time away from scocials and with his father.
While the Swedish Family Court plans another hearing on the Domenic Johansson kidnapping case, many observers ask, "Why bother?"

Don't get me wrong. I believe the Johanssons should be in court fighting tooth and nail until their son has been rightfully restored to them, and I will support them to the best of my ability until that day finally arrives. As far as I am concerned, they've never had a real court trial in this case. Instead, these dear, gentle people have stood tried and convicted as guilty since June 25th, 2009, months before ever setting foot into an LVU court room.  

As far as close observers of this case are concerned, the Johanssons have never been before a legitimate court. Every "trial" this innocent family has suffered since armed Swedish police swept onto an India bound jetliner and abducted their son, has been nothing more than what a Kangaroo Court of justice can deliver. Harsh words? Yes. Unwarranted? A resounding NO! Consider the following questions:
  • In what court, in this day and age, is it considered justice to deny the accused their choice of legal counsel, and the chance to offer witnesses and testimony supporting their claim of innocence? 
  • In what court is justice served when a sitting judge is presented written testimony as evidence from doctors and psychiatrists stating the mental health of the accused to be sound, yet this same judge ignores the expert testimony and instead accepts as gospel truth the testimony of child welfare workers, who are neither doctors nor psychiatrists, but who "diagnose" the defendant as having a narcissistic personality disorder? 
  • In what court is justice served when Eva Ernston, who is paid by the state of Sweden to "represent" Domenic's interests in court, publicly and indiscriminately boasts to friends and strangers alike, that "Domenic is better off without his weird father"? So much for keeping secret the reason Gotland Social Services has destroyed a family. According to Ernston, it is because Christer Johansson is, in her own words, "weird."
  • In what court is justice served when Domenic's foster mother tells little Domenic that he will stay with her regardless of what the judge decides, essentially telling the little boy she will break the law, if she has to, to keep him with her? 
  • In what court is justice served when this same foster mother tells child welfare workers what she told Domenic: that she will not give him back to his parents no matter what the court decides; and upon hearing this declaration, rather than reprimand, correct or otherwise protect Domenic from a foster mother untrustworthy enough to break the law rather than relinquish a child not hers to keep in the first place, the child welfare workers put in an official Gotland Social Services document, word for word what the foster mother told Domenic, then send this document to the Johanssons to further demoralize them?

Folks, the only courts in which I am aware such perverted justice is practiced is in the kangaroo courts of the Swedish LVU system. And of what crime are the Johanssons guilty? Surely, for so much trouble and distress, they must have beat or otherwise abused or neglected their son and surely all of this abuse and neglect has been documented in the three court cases the LVU system has already entertained on behalf of the Johanssons....

In fact, no.  There is no such case.

Instead, in court documents the Johanssons are accused of home schooling their son at a time when home schooling was still a legal option in Sweden. It is for this reason alone Gotland Social Services employed armed police to charge onto an airplane, upon which this family were passengers on the last leg of their journey back to India, where Christer and Annie were married and where Annie had always lived until a few months prior to Domenic’s birth.

After Gotland Social Services abducted the boy from the plane, they conducted a fishing expedition hoping to find more cause to keep Domenic. Their findings? Incomplete vaccinations (parents have the right to delay or deny vaccinations in Sweden) and a cavity in one of Domenic’s baby teeth. It was at this point that Domenic should have been immediately returned to his parents.

Not so, however. As is customary in many LVU cases in Sweden, it was time to pull out all the stops rather than admit Gotland Social Services acted erroneously on Domenic Johansson’s behalf. Parental character assassination is always the remaining weapon in the working toolbox of Gotland Social Services and apparently it is also their deadliest. The first accusations against the Johanssons is that Christer Johansson is a narcissist. This is not an official diagnosis. It is simply the opinion of the social workers. Even so, if narcissism is reason enough to destroy a parent/child relationship, I can think of hundreds of Hollywood celebrities whose children should be removed immediately. Next, he is accused of being overly obsessed with health, health foods and healthy living. Apparently health gurus should have their children forcibly removed as well? Next is the accusation that Christer Johansson is obsessed with human rights. After what his family has been through, who wouldn’t be? Even so, as Eva Ernston has so aptly deduced from all of Gotland Social Service’s findings, Christer Johansson is obviously “weird,” thus Domenic is much “better off without his weird father!”

Looking at Annie, who is a very soft spoken, loving, kind and gentle person, Gotland Social services found it more difficult to assassinate her character. Therefore, rather than attack her directly, they simply suggest to the court that Annie lives in the shadow of her husband. Yes, this is Annie’s crime. This is why Annie had her then 7 year old son ripped from her loving arms.

While all of these character “flaws” are enumerated in court records against the Johanssons, even more concerning is what is missing from court records. The court records fail to mention Christer’s accomplishments in music and the visual arts. They also fail to mention the very close and loving relationship Domenic and Christer enjoyed before Gotland Social Services disrupted it. They fail to mention how Christer was nurturing a love for animals and nature in Domenic. They fail to mention how Christer was passing on to his son a passion for capturing the beauty of the Swedish landscape in photographs, teaching him the art as they went on photo shooting expeditions, sharing these experiences side-by-side. 

As for Annie, the court records fail to mention the fact that Annie holds a Master’s Degree in English, and that Domenic was fluent in both Swedish and English on the day he was taken. Ironically, Annie is more qualified to educate Domenic than the average Swedish classroom teacher. However, the court record fails to mention such things.

And so we ask, what can we expect from yet another court hearing within Sweden’s LVU walls of justice? Can we expect more of the same or will truth and justice finally be served in the now notorious case regarding the custody of Domenic Johansson? Will the Johanssons be allowed to bring in the defense attorney of their choosing? Will the judge act independent of the child welfare workers, allowing the Johanssons to have their entire and complete defense heard and fairly weighed? 

PLEASE CONSIDER HELPING:
As this next court date fast approaches, please consider donating to the Johanssons. A donation button is located at the upper right of the Friends blog. If you decide you'd like to donate and you do not read Swedish, there is a little drop-down menu on the upper right of the Paypal page (where you go after pressing the yellow Donate button) that gives you the option to translate the page to the language of your choice. Thank you for you support!

14 comments:

  1. The best article I've seen from you so far here, very good writing and very relevant points. I myself am in the process of making a 20-minute video on the state of child welfare in Sweden, commenting on this case and a couple of other ones with pictures, webpages etc, with me sitting in a makeshift news studio. It should be done in a couple of days.

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  2. This article hits the nail right on the head. There is no case. Only egregious injustice, lies, and raw power. A disgrace.

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  3. As an Irish citizen and the grandmother of home-schooled children I am appalled at the dreadful treatment meted out to this family, Is the rest of Europe deaf to the torment the parents and the child are suffering. Shame on those invovled in this travesty.

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  4. This case represents a travesty of justice and the ungodly - inhuman treatment of a child and the breakup of a family. Sweden where is your shame? On the one hand a boycott of everything Sweden exports is called for, a boycott also of travel to Sweden, and prayer is needed for Domenic and his parents, that they may break free from this prison and restore what remains of their lives. God help them.

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  5. Our hearts and prayers are forever with you...

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  6. God is just and injustice will be rectified in the end. We are all praying for the Johanssons!

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  7. This is the legalized terrorizing of a family in Sweden simply for being homeschoolers and I think Christians. There is no fear of the LORD in their persecutors. Since the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, let us pray the fear of the LORD upon all of those involved in this mockery of justice. In the name of Yahshua Ha Meshyiach/ Jesus Christ deal with all concerned LORD by bringing a great fear of doing evil in that they will know that such behavior means that they must answer to you. Glory yourself in this situation and in the lives of those who choose to fear you and the removal to a place of no power to do evil by the others. They may think to mock Yahweh but even as Pharaoh thought to rob Israel of his male children, Yahweh be shown powerful in Sweden. God is not mocked, but shown worthy of all honor and glory and power. May the wisdom of the LORD be received with great joy by those who choose Him.

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  8. Psalm 37
    29The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever.

    30The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment.

    31The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.

    32The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to slay him.

    33The LORD will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged.

    34Wait on the LORD, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.

    35I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree.

    36Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be found.

    37Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace.

    38But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off.

    39But the salvation of the righteous is of the LORD: he is their strength in the time of trouble.

    40And the LORD shall help them, and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him.

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  9. what happened to Domenic is abuse , the damage done .yes governments can abuse their people , the case of Domenic is prrof of that . rather than take owndership of thier wrong choices and help the family heal from the abusive actions , they continue to be ignoarnt , arrogant and hide just like any other cowardly absuer .
    I do hope the family takes measures to heal in therapy , it is so hard not to respond to hateful abuse with hate but in the end Domenic's parents have been true & beautiful example . the Swedish gov has also been an example , a very good lesson to show us not what to do !
    I continue to pray for the family

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  10. Racism, plain and simple. How could he be raised right, he's not pure Swedish? Savages are raising him, in their eyes. Europe is VERY racist, and this is just another sign of it. Stealing brown kids for their own use.

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  11. This is an outrage. I have written to the Swedish embassy in the UK to complain about the treatment being meted out to the Johansson family.

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  12. www.n.k.m.r.org Nordiska Kommittén För Mänskliga Rättigheter
    http://www.nkmr.org/english/index.htm The Nordic Committee For Human Rights
    http://www.nkmr.org/francais/index.htm Le Comité Nordic De Droits Humains
    http://www.nkmr.org/deutsch/deutsch.htm Nordisches Kommittee Fûr Menschenrechte
    http://www.nkmr.org/espana/index.htm El Comité Nórdico De los Derechos Humanos
    http://www.nkmr.org/suomi/index.htm Pohjoismainen Komitea Ihmisoikeuksien Puolesta

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  13. http://www.nkmr.org/index.html Nordiska Kommitteen För Mänskliga Rättigheter
    http://www.nkmr.org/english/index.htm The Nordic Committee For Human Rights
    http://www.nkmr.org/francais/index.htm Le Comité Nordique De Droits Humains
    http://www.nkmr.org/espana/index.htm El Comité Nórdico De los Derechos Humanos
    http://www.nkmr.org/deutsch/deutsch.htm Nordisches Kommittee Fûr Menschenrechte
    http://www.nkmr.org/suomi/index.htm Pohjoismaine Komitea Ihmisoikeuksien Puolesta

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  14. Christer insulted Gotland Social Services. He did not recognize their authority and disrespected them. Maybe he did not invite them in, maybe he shut the door in their faces or wasn't home when they arrived ("We'll be there between 8:00 and 5:00 Tuesday or possibly Wednesday."). Maybe he did let them in but gave them green tea when they had specifically asked for a cup of coffee.
    I would like to hear exactly what he did that pissed them off so badly that they were able to get get the police to raid a departing airplane. Wouldn't someone in the Social Services office have said, "They're leaving today, it's not our problem anymore. You need to give it a rest, you're going to give yourself an ulcer if you keep taking things like this personally."
    But, he diss'ed a government official and they are going to make him pay!

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