A Belgian appeals court docket has upheld a call to not extradite the controversial Spanish rapper Valtònyc.
The 28-year-old musician -- whose actual identify is Jose Miguel Arenas Beltran -- has been dwelling in exile in Belgium since 2018.
He faces three-and-a-half years in jail after being discovered responsible of writing lyrics that praised terror teams and insulted the Spanish royal household.
Ghent prosecutor Francis Clarysse advised reporters the court docket's choice will be appealed to Belgium’s highest court docket, the court docket of cessation.
Tuesday’s ruling marked the fourth time that Spanish judicial authorities have had an extradition request denied.
Valtònyc’s case has turn into symbolic in Spain, the place the authorities have been accused of cracking down on free speech.
The rapper -- who originates from Palma de Mallorca -- was sentenced to jail over songs he wrote when he was 18 years outdated.
The lyrics had been deemed to have praised terror teams, threatened a Spanish politician with violence and insulted the royal household. Spanish courts had rejected Arenas’ argument that rap lyrics are supposed to be provocative and needs to be protected by free speech legal guidelines.
Belgium's judiciary has already mentioned that the fees of "apology of terrorism" and "threats" weren't grounds for his extradition.
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