By Hammad Kahlun
SNN News Finland
In a shocking decision, a Swedish court has ruled that an Eritrean migrant convicted of raping a 16-year-old girl will not be deported because the assault “did not last long enough” to qualify as an exceptionally serious offense.
The case involves 18-year-old Yazied Mohamed, a refugee from Eritrea, who attacked 16-year-old Meya Åberg in a pedestrian tunnel on September 1st last year after she missed her bus home from work at McDonald’s.
Meya immediately reported the incident to police, and Mohamed was arrested shortly afterward. The court sentenced him to three years in prison for the rape.
However, despite the severity of the crime, the Court of Appeal rejected the prosecution’s request for deportation. Judges cited that under Swedish law, a refugee can only be expelled if the crime is deemed “exceptionally serious” and if their continued stay poses a “serious threat to public safety.”
The court determined that, due to the short duration of the assault, the legal threshold for deportation was not met — a decision that has sparked widespread outrage across Sweden.
Critics argue that the ruling undermines justice for victims and exposes loopholes in Sweden’s immigration and criminal laws.
The Åberg family expressed their deep disappointment, saying that the verdict feels like “a second violation.” Meya’s mother told local media, “He destroyed my daughter’s life, and now he gets to stay here. Where is the justice in that?”
Public debate continues to intensify as citizens and lawmakers demand reforms to prevent similar rulings in the future.
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