Greenland’s High Court visited Ilulissat and last week handed down judgments in three different rape cases from North Greenland. It ended with two convictions and one acquittal.
Last week Greenland’s High Court was moved from Nuuk to Ilulissat for a brief comment. On the agenda were a number of criminal cases, primarily from North Greenland. Among them were three different rape cases.
The cases were all appealed by men who were found guilty of rape in the Qaasuistsoq District Court last year. They are not related to each other.
The outcome of the three cases in the High Court was two confirmations and one acquittal:
March 17 the high court found a man from Qaanaaq guilty of rape in a sexual relationship other than intercourse, committed against a sleeping woman.
The High Court agreed with the Circuit Court that two months’ imprisonment was the appropriate sentence.
March 18 The High Court found a man from Upernavik guilty of sexual intercourse. He was also guilty of violence and defamation of other persons.
The High Court again agreed with the circuit court and upheld a sentence of 1 year and 8 months.
March 19 the outcome was different. Here, a young man won his appeal in the high court, as he was acquitted of rape.
Last year, the district court found him guilty of abusing a significantly younger family member in a settlement in North Greenland, and then he was sentenced to 1 year in prison.
However, new information came to light during the appeal. This caused the High Court of Greenland to change the sentence, so that the man is now acquitted.
