Quebec judge acquits rapper K’naan of sexual assault case

A Quebec judge has found rapper K’naan (real name Keinan Abdi Warsame) not guilty of sexually assaulting a woman in a Quebec City hotel room in 2010.

The complainant accused Warsame of sexually assaulting her while she was asleep at the Hilton Quebec in July 2010.

In his testimony last March, Warsame denied the allegations, and told the court that he and the woman had consensual sex the next morning and that no assault occurred during the evening.

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Delivering her decision on Wednesday, Judge Julie Roy said she was not completely convinced by Warsame’s statements. However, he concluded that the evidence did not prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt and declared him not guilty.

Warsame, who grew up in Toronto, was in the province while performing at the Festival d’été de Québec.

The song Flying the Flag propelled Warsame to international success after being selected as Coca-Cola’s promotional song for the 2010 FIFA World Cup Refugeewas released in 2023, earning Warsame the Recording Academy’s Best Song for Social Change Award.

— with files from Kalina Laframboise and Sarah Do Couto