Elisa Menendez
A BELGIAN court has rejected a Spanish request to extradite rapper Valtonyc sentenced to prison for charges related to insulting the monarchy in his lyrics.
It comes after the Mallorquin artist, whose real name is Josep Miquel Arenas, went into exile to Belgium in May after he was sentenced to three and a half years in jail.
“For the moment he is free and he is free definitively in Belgium,” lawyer Paul Bekaert told Reuters TV this week.
“There is no terrorism involved, there is no incitement of terrorism, so there is no question of a crime according to Belgian law.”
However, he added that a European Arrest Warrant could be issued if the 24-year-old rapper travels to other countries.
The Sa Pobla artist was convicted of glorifying terrorism, threatening right-wing politician Jorge Campos and making defamatory comments against the Spanish royal family in April.
Organisations such as Amnesty International have campaigned for Valtonyc’s freedom arguing that it is a breach of freedom of speech.
Meanwhile Pedro Sanchez’s new socialist government is working towards repealing the controversial Citizen Safety law dubbed the ‘gag law’.
