Belgium is not going to hand the Spanish rapper Valtònyc over to his home country. A judge in Ghent has also ruled on appeal that he can stay in Belgium.
Josep Miquel Arenas, as Valtònyc is actually called, fled to Belgium in 2018, after he was sentenced to 3.5 years in Spain because of the lyrics in his songs. A Spanish court ruled that he glorified terrorism, insulted the royal family and threatened politicians.
A Belgian court held the lore in September 2018, but the Public Prosecution Service appealed.
That appeal was subsequently postponed, because a ruling from the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg was awaited. That court said this year that Belgium is not obliged to automatically surrender Valtònyc on the basis of Spain’s European arrest warrant.
Contrary to constitution
Subsequently, the Constitutional Court ruled that the Belgian lèse majesté law of 1847 is contrary to the constitution. Belgium cannot hand over people for acts that are not prohibited in their own country. The judge has already ruled that there is no mention of threats or terrorism in the texts.
Valtònyc tweeted a picture of his middle finger and the Spanish embassy in Belgium, in response to the verdict. He thanked everyone who has supported him over the past year.
With the hashtag #LlibertatPabloHasel he also draws attention to rapper Pablo Hasel, who became arrested in Spain for its lyrics.
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