Relocation case heads for tribunal

Hingitaq 53, the group representing residents of Thule, Greenland who were relocated to Qaanaaq in 1953, plans to file an appeal to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France.

Hingitaq 53 lost its case the Danish Supreme Court in November 2003. The court ruled the former residents of Thule were not entitled to additional compensation beyond the 1.7 million krøner ($300,000) they were awarded in a 1999 district court ruling. They also lost their bid to return to their hunting areas near the base.

Aqqaluk Lynge, the president of Greenland’s Inuit Circumpolar Conference, said he would meet lawyer Christian Harlang to finish the appeal and to submit a report to the Greenland government on the legal aspects of the case.