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Rapper claimed by Madrid: Belgian justice confirms the refusal of extradition

2022-05-17T10:03:17.223Z


Belgian justice confirmed Tuesday, May 17 its refusal to hand over to Spain the Spanish rapper Valtonyc, claimed for four years by the authorities...


Belgian justice confirmed Tuesday, May 17 its refusal to hand over to Spain the Spanish rapper Valtonyc, claimed for four years by the judicial authorities of his country after a sentence to prison for "

apology for terrorism

" and "

insults to the Crown

" in his songs.

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"

Victory. Even after the cassation, no extradition

", greeted on Twitter Simon Bekaert, one of the lawyers of Josep Miguel Arenas Beltran, known under the pseudonym of Valtonyc.

It was again the Court of Appeal of Ghent (north-west) which looked into this case, requested by the Belgian Court of Cassation which wanted a re-examination of Madrid's request on the equivalent in Belgian law of the offense of "

insults to the Crown

".

The judgment of the Court of Appeal rejecting the request was confirmed to AFP by the general prosecutor's office of the Flemish city.

The Court of Appeal ruled that the Belgian law of 1847 punishing insults (or "

offenses

") to the King of the Belgians "

could not be invoked

", due to a decision handed down in 2021 deeming this former legislation unconstitutional Belgian.

On October 28, 2021, the Belgian Constitutional Court had ruled that verbally attacking the king fell under "

the freedom to express one's opinions in all matters

", and could not be punished with a prison sentence (up to three years according to the law of 1847, very little used).

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Sentenced in Spain to three and a half years in prison

Josep Miguel Arenas Beltran, alias Valtonyc, 28, was sentenced in Spain to three and a half years in prison for “

apology for terrorism

”, “

insults to the Crown

” and “

threats

” in texts from 2012-2013 where he says for example: "

Let them be afraid like a civil guard in the Basque Country

", or "

The king has an appointment in the village square with a rope around his neck

".

He went into exile in Belgium in May 2018 after the confirmation of this sentence by the Spanish justice, and for four years his Belgian lawyers have been fighting to allow him to escape a surrender in Madrid under a European arrest warrant. submitted to Belgian judges.

The lawyers believe that Valtonyc only used his freedom of expression in his texts in Catalan.

For various reasons, Belgian justice had already invalidated “

threats

” and “

apology for terrorism

” as grounds which, in its view, could justify extradition.

There was only uncertainty about the "

insults to the Crown

".

Source: lefigaro

All news articles on 2022-05-17

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