STOCKHOLM - Prosecutors in Sweden have charged a Malaysian couple with violent treatment of their four children, including beating them with belts and sticks.
The Stockholm public prosecutor's office says the alleged abuse occurred from 2010 until December 2013, when Swedish police arrested the couple. They have been in custody since then.
Swedish social services had been caring for the 7-to-14-year-old children. They were taken back to their home country by Malaysian government officials following a massive social media campaign calling for their return.
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All forms of corporal punishment have been banned in Sweden since 1979.
If found guilty the couple could face up to six years in prison. The trial is to start later this month and is expected to last 10 days.
The incident started when Azizul and Shalwati had allegedly scolded their 12-year-old son for failing to perform his prayers and hit him on his hands.
Although the boy did not suffer any bruises, he was feeling a bit down and his teacher at school noticed his dispirited outlook.
After the boy told the teacher, the school counsellor was informed and a report was lodged with Swedish authorities.
"Within a day, the children were removed from the school and both Azizul and Shalwati were arrested and taken into custody," the source told The Star.
The couple, both in their early 40s, were arrested on December 18
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