Yazied Mohamed, convicted of raping 16-year-old Meya Åberg, will not be deported after serving his sentence. The decision comes from the Alto Norrland Court of Appeal in Sweden. Yazied is an 18-year-old Eritrean refugee.
The attack took place in September 2024 when Meya was walking home after missing the bus. It was after her late shift at McDonald’s. Yazied attacked her in the pedestrian tunnel.
The victim and her family immediately reported the incident. However, the court sentenced him to only three years in prison. According to the tribunal, the rape “did not last long enough” to be classified as an “extremely serious crime”.
Under Swedish law, refugees can only be deported for crimes considered extremely serious. They can also be deported if they pose a major threat to public safety.
The court said that although the attack was serious and traumatic, its short duration prevented him from meeting the legal criteria for deportation. The court’s decision sparked widespread outrage and debate across Sweden.
“In many cases, rape is considered an extremely serious crime that could justify the deportation of a refugee. However, each case must be assessed individually,” the court quoted local news as saying in its decision.
“Given the nature and length of the incident, the court considers that it is not an extremely serious crime that would justify deportation,” the court added.
The court’s decision not to deport Yazied Mohamed sparked widespread outrage across the country. Yazied is protected under the 1951 UN Refugee Convention, which allows expulsion only in the most extreme cases. Therefore, he will not be sent back to Eritrea, a country in northeastern Africa on the coast of the Red Sea.
Many critics say the court gave more weight to his refugee status than to the seriousness of the crime. The ruling has renewed debate over Sweden’s lenient deportation laws for violent offenders. According to them, asylum protection needs to be tightened to ensure justice for the victims.
What if a foreigner commits a crime in India
If a foreign national commits a crime in India, the accused is tried in Indian courts. If convicted, they must complete the sentence, such as prison or fines.
“If the case registered against the foreign nationals has resulted in conviction, they shall be ordered to be kept in the regular jail of the state till the completion of their sentence and after serving their sentence shall be kept in detention centers until they are deported to their country,” according to a 2023 Madhya Pradesh High Court order.
