'Abusive Dad of the Year' on Trial in Sweden for Holding Children Prisoner, And Denying Them an Education

A 58-year-old father of four is currently standing trial in Uppsala, Sweden, for imprisoning his wife and children, and subjecting them to a sustained regimen of abuse. The children in question are now between 16 and 22 years of age. The children claim that not only were they denied an education, but between September 2003 and March 2004 they were not even allowed to leave the family apartment. The denial of education is corroborated by local school authorities who are now questioning how the children's involuntary truancy went undetected for so long.

Despite the fact that the children are born in Sweden, two of them needed interpreters in court. They testified about abuse, fear and never having attended school.

The father warned of the dangers of Swedish society, telling his children they would be raped and lobotomized and that all Swedes were racists.

So the father, a native of Iran, chose to raise his family in Sweden, so long as his family had nothing whatsoever to do with Swedish society. To say the least, it begs the question -- then why live in Sweden?

The only encouraging thing about this story, is that the action against the abusive father appears to have been brought by the children themselves. They undoubtedly feel cheated, abused, deceived, and deprived of opportunities.

Three of the children have sought compensation totaling 148,000 kronor ($20,000) for deprivation of liberty (frihetsberövande), including missing out on their education.

If there's any justice, the court should multiply their compensation by a factor of ten.