Geirfinnur case
The Geirfinnur case (also referred to Guðmundar- og Geirfinnsmál) is a case concerning the disappearance of two men in Iceland.
Disappearances
On the night of 26 January 1974, Guðmundur Einarsson, an 18-year-old casual labourer, was walking back from Alþýðuhúsið in Hafnarfjörður to his home, 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) away.[1] He was last seen by a motorist after he nearly fell in front of a vehicle.[1] 10 months later, on 19 November 1974, Geirfinnur Einarsson, a 32-year-old construction worker unrelated to Guðmundur, received a phone call whilst at home and drove a short distance to the harbour cafe in Keflavik.[1] He left the keys in the ignition, but failed to return to the car.[1]
Extensive searches around the harbour and coast did not find a body, and a murder enquiry was opened.[1]
Prosecutions
Six suspects eventually signed confessions of murder, even though they had no clear memory of committing the crimes. They had been kept in isolation and interviewed at length under pressure, including the use of water torture for the alleged ringleader, Sævar Ciesielski. He also later claimed that he was drugged to help him sleep, and this affected his memory. The suspects said they signed the confessions in order to put an end to the solitary confinement.[1]
Sævar Ciesielski died in 2011. In 2013, an official police investigation report was handed to the office of the State Prosecutor. As of May 2014, no decision has been taken on quashing the convictions.[1]
The case was made public in a BBC radio programme in May 2014, which discussed the apparent memory implantation.[2]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "The Reykjavik Confessions" (interactive feature). BBC. Retrieved 15 May 2014.
- ↑ Zoe Williams, The Reykjavik Confessions, The Guardian, UK, 16 May 2014
External links
- An End To The Never-Ending Nightmare? Article by Snorri Páll Jónsson Úlfhildarson, published in The Reykjavík Grapevine, April 15, 2013.