More than 200 artists, including Pedro Almodóvar, Joan Manuel Serrat, Javier Bardem, Fernando Trueba and Vetusta Morla, have signed a manifesto calling for the release in Spain of rapper Pablo Hasel, who has been sentenced to prison for exalting terrorism and insulting the Crown.
“The Spanish state has reached the top of the list of countries where several artists have retaliated for the content of their songs,” denounces the letter sent to Efe, which “equates” the situation of freedoms in this country after the musician’s imprisonment “with countries like Turkey or Morocco.”
Actors Alberto San Juan, Antonio de la Torre, Luis Tosar, Paco León, Aitana Sánchez Gijón, Emma Suárez and Javier Gutiérrez are other names who subscribe to this letter warning of “the sword of Damocles hanging over the heads of all public figures” who dare “To publicly criticize the conduct of any of the state’s actions.
“We are aware that if we let Pablo be imprisoned, he can go after any of us tomorrow, until any dissident sigh is silenced,” said the statement, which was also signed by musicians such as Santiago Auserón, Coque Malla, Ismael Serrano, Pedro Guerra or members of Def Con Dos.
The writing “demands” for all this Hasel’s freedom, “As well as the fact that these types of crimes are expelled from the Criminal Code which limits only the right, not only to freedom of expression, but also to ideological and artistic freedom.”
Among the large number of rappers who support their partner, in addition to Rayden, Tote King, Frank T or Ayax and Prok, is Valtonyc, who is currently awaiting the decision of the Belgian court on his possible extradition to Spain, supported precisely for a crime. of insults to the Crown.
The long list of signatories also includes film directors such as Montxo Armendáriz and Isaki Lacuesta, journalist Javier Gallego or illustrator and cartoonist Javier Royo.
At the end of January, the National Court ordered his admission to prison to serve a sentence of nine months and one day in prison, which he was sentenced to the Supreme Court in May 2020 for crimes of glorification of terrorism and insults against the Crown and institutions. state.
The punishment for Hasel, ratified by the Supreme Court, is in addition to the rapper’s previous sentences, such as the one imposed in 2014 and by the National Court to two years in prison for glorifying terrorism because of some lyrics of his songs about Grapo. , ETA or Terra Lliure, although that sentence was later suspended by the court.
+ Explanation of the case
The events for which Hasél will have to go to prison date from 2014-2016, when he published 64 messages on Twitter and a song on YouTube, reports the Spanish newspaper El País.
In one of the messages, published in March 2016, he wrote with a photo of the member of the terrorist group Grapo Victoria Gómez: “Demonstrations are necessary, but not enough, we support those who went further.”
He also accused the emeritus king and Philip VI of committing several crimes, including murder and embezzlement, El País said.
“Friends of the Spanish kingdom are bombing hospitals, while Juan Carlos walks with them on curves,” he wrote in January 2016.
In the first instance, in March 2018 he was sentenced to two years and one day in prison, but an appellate court reduced his sentence to nine months and one day, considering that, although he committed the crimes for which he was convicted, he the convict had to serve the minimum sentence provided by law because his messages did not pose a “real risk” to people. This decision was upheld by the Supreme Court in May 2020.