A Swedish appeals court has decided not to deport an Eritrean refugee convicted of raping a 16-year-old girl, ruling that the offense did not meet the legal threshold for expulsion in this case, according to multiple reports.
The case concerns 18-year-old Yazied Mohamed, who was found guilty of raping then-16-year-old Meya Åberg after an incident on Sept. 1, 2024, as she was walking home from work. He received a three-year prison sentence. The Hovrätten för Övre Norrland (Court of Appeal for Upper Norrland) reportedly concluded that while rape can in many instances be considered “exceptionally serious” and grounds for deportation, the “nature and duration” of this incident did not justify removing his refugee status after he serves his sentence.
Media accounts say the court referenced the 1951 UN Refugee Convention, under which recognized refugees are generally protected from expulsion unless they pose a serious threat to public order or have been convicted of a particularly grave crime. The court determined those conditions were not met and that Mohamed would remain in Sweden after raping a teen.
The ruling has drawn intense criticism from commentators and on social media and has renewed debate over Sweden’s deportation rules in serious criminal cases involving refugees.
