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Post by Admin on Aug 4, 2019 17:30:17 GMT
Rapper A$AP Rocky was released from a Swedish jail on Friday pending a verdict in his assault trial, two days a letter from the U.S. special presidential envoy for hostage affairs to Swedish prosecutors warned of “negative” repercussions for continuing to hold Rocky in custody. http://instagram.com/p/B0rAYCoHwUM According to NBC News, a letter sent by Ambassador Robert O’Brien on July 31 warned of “potentially negative consequences to the U.S.-Swedish bilateral relationship” should A$AP Rocky not be released. In response, Sweden’s prosecutor-general, Petra Lundh wrote: “No other prosecutor, not even I, may interfere with a specific case or try to affect the prosecutor responsible.” The letters came following pleas to President Trump on behalf of A$AP Rocky from pals Kim Kardashian and Kanye West. Rocky was arrested July 3 on an assault charge his attorneys maintain that he attempted to peacefully resolve. The situation sounds like a terrible one for Rocky, who sat in jail for weeks before being charged with a crime as others, like rapper Quavo, came forward with their own stories of racism and mistreatment at the hands of Swedish cops.
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Post by Admin on Aug 7, 2019 18:28:59 GMT
In early July, rapper A$AP Rocky—whose real name is Rakim Mayers—was arrested in Sweden after a physical altercation with two men outside a Stockholm burger restaurant. The alleged victim, 19-year-old Mustafa Jafari, claimed that Rocky and two associates, Bladimir Corniel and David Rispers Jr., beat him and attacked him with glass bottles, causing broken ribs and cuts requiring stitches. Rocky asserted that the man had followed and harassed them, and that he and his team acted only in self-defense. Detained for nearly a month pending the results of an investigation and his subsequent criminal trial, Rocky was forced to cancel the remainder of his European tour and festival dates in July. The circumstances of Rocky's arrest and the three-plus weeks he spent in jail—Sweden has no bail system—quickly transformed the matter into a cause célèbre. Kim Kardashian West, who has been active in criminal justice reform-related matters during the Trump administration, reportedly asked White House senior advisor Jared Kushner to appeal to his father-in-law for help. The president began tweeting his support for Rocky on July 19, and dispatched Robert O’Brien—the White House's special envoy for hostage affairs—to monitor the situation in Stockholm. A State Department spokesperson told Politico that Rocky's arrest and detention raised "concerns," and urged Sweden "to treat American citizens fairly and with respect." Trump also asked Swedish prime minister Stefan Löfven to intervene in the case, and even offered to personally guarantee Rocky's bail; Löfven declined, however, much to his counterpart's disappointment. On July 25, prosecutors charged Rocky, Corniel, and Rispers with assault causing actual bodily harm, to which all three pleaded not guilty. At the conclusion of a four-day trial, Rocky was released from custody on August 2 and departed for the United States hours later. A final verdict in his case is expected on August 14. In the meantime, I asked Eric Bylander, a professor of procedural law at Sweden's Uppsala University and a recent visiting professor at the University of Minnesota Law School, to explain how A$AP Rocky's case got to this point—and how it is likely to conclude.
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Post by Admin on Aug 12, 2019 17:45:27 GMT
Last night, A$AP Rocky played his first show since being released from Swedish jail. The rapper’s set at Real Street festival in Anaheim, California, featured a surprise appearance from Tyler, the Creator for “Who Dat Boy” and “Earfquake,” as well as YG and A$AP Ferg. He also spoke about his detainment. Watch footage below, via YouTube user Irma Hernandez. (Tyler comes out around the 13-minute mark, and the speech begins five minutes later. ) Of his time in Swedish jail, Rocky said: “Y’all know how happy I am to be here right now, I wanna say this though. When I was away—hold the mosh please, this a sentimental moment!—what I experienced was crazy.... It was a scary, humbling experience but I’m here right now. God is good. People who ain’t even fuck with me felt sympathy. People was praying for me, that uplifted me when my spirits was low. I can’t thank y’all enough, man, that was crazy. Hip-hop never looked so strong together.”
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Post by Admin on Aug 14, 2019 7:30:21 GMT
A Stockholm court will rule Wednesday on whether US rapper A$AP Rocky is guilty of assault over a street brawl in a case that has outraged fans and stoked diplomatic tensions. The 30-year-old rapper, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, was arrested on July 3 following a fight in Stockholm on June 30 in which he and his entourage were embroiled with a 19-year-old plaintiff. Mayers will not be present in Stockholm for the verdict, which is due at 2 pm (1200 GMT). Prosecutor Daniel Suneson called for a six-month prison sentence for Mayers and two of his crew, while the defence argued they acted in self-defence and should be acquitted. Considered a "flight risk", Mayers was held in custody while the case was investigated and throughout his trial. But he was released after the close of proceedings on August 2, pending the verdict, and immediately returned to the United States.
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Post by Admin on Aug 14, 2019 17:32:46 GMT
US rapper ASAP Rocky, real name Rakim Mayers, has been found guilty of assault during a Stockholm fight and given a two-year suspended sentence. The 30-year-old has also been ordered to pay damages to the victim. ASAP Rocky spent nearly a month in custody after the assault, which happened at the end of June, before being released ahead of the verdict. "Our reaction is disappointment," ASAP Rocky's lawyer said, adding the verdict was "hard to accept". Two members of ASAP Rocky's entourage, Bladimir Corniel and David Rispers, were found guilty of the same charge. "The assault has not been of such a serious nature that a prison sentence must be chosen," the court said in a statement. "The defendants are therefore sentenced to conditional sentences."
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