Overview
- The Alto Norrland Court of Appeals found the offense’s nature and duration did not meet the legal threshold for deporting an Eritrean refugee convicted of raping a 16-year-old.
- Yazied Mohamed was convicted on appeal, sentenced to three years in prison, and ordered to pay 240,000 kronor in damages to Meya Åberg.
- Prosecutors sought removal, but the court said deportation requires an ‘exceptionally serious’ offense under Swedish law and the Article 33 framework.
- The assault occurred in September 2024 in a pedestrian tunnel in Skellefteå after the victim missed a bus and was walking home from work.
- The decision drew public criticism, including from UK politician Nadhim Zahawi, fueling a renewed debate over Sweden’s deportation standards for convicted refugees.