UN changes guidelines after Swedish rape case

The UN refugee agency will update its guidelines to classify rape as a “particularly serious crime,” allowing the deportation of refugees convicted of sexual assault, following pressure from Sweden’s migration minister.

A court in Skellefteå sentenced a man to three years in prison for the 2024 rape of then-16-year-old Meya Åberg but did not order his deportation, as the crime was not deemed severe enough under Sweden’s interpretation of UN refugee conventions. The case drew international attention after Åberg spoke publicly about the assault and its aftermath.

Swedish Migration Minister Johan Forssell (Moderate Party) pushed for the change, arguing that those who commit serious crimes like rape “choose to exclude themselves from Sweden.” UNHCR has now confirmed it will revise its guidelines to explicitly include rape as grounds for deportation, even for refugees.

“We have succeeded in gathering support among many member states and got UNHCR to change the application of the convention,” Forssell said.