Quebec judge acquits rapper K’naan in sexual assault case

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

The complainant alleged that Warsame sexually assaulted her while she was asleep at the Hilton Quebec in July 2010.

During testimony last March, Warsame denied the allegation, telling the court that he and the woman had consensual sex the following morning and that no assault occurred during the night.

In delivering her decision Wednesday, Judge Julie Roy said she was not fully persuaded by Warsame’s account. However, she concluded that the evidence did not establish guilt beyond a reasonable doubt and found him not guilty.

Warsame, who grew up on Toronto, was in the province at the time to perform at Festival d’été de Québec.

His song Wavin’ Flag pushed Warsame to international success as after it was selected as Coca-Cola’s promotional anthem for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. His track Refugee, released in 2023, earned Warsame the Recording Academy’s Best Song for Social Change Award.