A 34-year-old Arab man from Gaza has been sentenced to prison after attempting to rape a man unknown to him at Gothenburg Central Station at the end of last year. The assault was interrupted when security guards intervened, but despite the prosecutor demanding deportation, he is allowed to remain in Sweden because the court deems that his sexual orientation could expose him to persecution in his home country.
The incident occurred just after 4:00 a.m. on Sunday morning, December 14 last year, by the train tracks at Gothenburg Central Station.
The two men were strangers when the Palestinian, Abdallah M M Zidan, approached the other man at the station. They did not understand each other, so the Palestinian used a translation app to communicate that he wanted the man, who was a stranger to him, to come home with him.
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Court documents show that the Palestinian immigrated to Sweden in 2019 and even today only understands a few words of Swedish. It also shows that he supports himself as a personal assistant to a relative who speaks Arabic.
Dug into His Pants, Thrust Himself, and Exposed Genitals
But the man at the station, who would soon become the Palestinian’s intended rape victim, rejected his invitation. This was something Abdallah Zidan could not accept, and he decided to attempt intercourse right there at the central station.
The Palestinian followed the victim through the station and then pressed him up against a wall, where he began to grope his body both over and under his clothes. Furthermore, the Palestinian man also reportedly exposed his genitals to the victim, sucked on his neck, and kissed him on the mouth.
Abdallah Zidan then pushed his victim to the ground and started to reach inside the man’s pants, tried to pull them off, and thrusted against his body—all while the victim fought back and said no. The victim felt completely paralyzed by the assault as the Palestinian continued his rape attempt.
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At the same time, two passersby noticed the situation and alerted the security guards at the station, who were able to intervene and stop the attempted rape. The Palestinian, however, did not immediately cease; one of the guards had to shine a flashlight in his eyes and raise his voice before he stopped.
In his defense, Abdallah Zidan acknowledged that he initiated the assault and admitted parts of the sequence of events but claimed that the victim did not clearly resist when he reached inside the stranger’s clothes at the train station. According to the Palestinian, he thought the man was participating voluntarily because he wanted to have sex at the central station.
Defense: The Victim Did Not Resist Enough
Fortunately, much of the incident was captured by the central station’s surveillance cameras, and Gothenburg District Court relied on this evidence as well as witness testimony and the victim’s statement.
The court therefore convicts the Palestinian of attempted rape and considers that one year and six months in prison is an appropriate sentence. He must also pay 103,200 kronor in damages to the victim.
The Rapist Cannot Be Deported – Risks Persecution by Hamas
Despite District Prosecutor Sofia Lundgren requesting deportation to Gaza, Gothenburg District Court chooses not to deport Abdallah Zidan.
The court states that the Palestinian’s lack of ties to Sweden in itself is not a barrier to deportation, but that his homosexuality is not accepted in the Palestinian territories.
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Therefore, the man fears for his life if deported—a concern the court shares. Below is an excerpt from the judgment addressing the issue of deportation.
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