Madeleine McCann’s parents have lost a legal battle over comments made by a Portuguese detective

That’s what attorneys Kate and Gerry McCann claim Portuguese the authorities violated their right to respect for private and family life in the way the courts handled their defamation claims against Hankal Amaral.

In a book, TV documentary and newspaper interview, he claimed the McCanns were involved in the disappearance of their daughter Madeleine.

In a ruling published on Tuesday, the European Court of Human Rights found that the couple’s reputation had been damaged by their being named official suspects in the case for a short time, rather than by Mr. Amaral’s comments.

The McCanns now have three months to appeal the decision.

Their three-year-old daughter went missing during a family holiday in Praia da Luz, Portugal in 2007.

Earlier this year, German investigators found new evidence against the main suspect in her disappearance, the prosecutor said in an interview with Portuguese television.

Convicted sex offender Christian Bruckner was named a suspect in the case by Portuguese officials in April as he was approaching his 15-year statutory term, and has been under investigation by German officials for two years.

In May, the McCanns said it was important to them to know the truth as they marked the 15th anniversary of their daughter’s disappearance.

A three-year-old child went missing during a family vacation in Praia da Luz, Portugal on May 3, 2007.