LLEIDA, Spain (AP) – A Spanish rapper and dozens of his supporters locked themselves in a university building on Monday in the artist’s latest attempt to avoid a prison sentence for insulting the country’s monarchy and praising terrorism.
The case of 32-year-old Pablo Hasél has attracted more and more attention in Spain and has been linked to the government’s sudden announcement to change a national law that is considered to reduce freedom of expression. More than 200 artists, including director Pedro Almodóvar and actor Javier Bardem, signed a petition last week in support of the rapper.
The artist, whose real name is Pablo Rivadulla Duró, is to serve a reduced sentence of 2018 of nine months in prison for tweets and songs he posted between 2014 and 2016 criticizing the Spanish royal family and praising an armed group the Spanish left now gone. .
“I will not allow them to tell me what to think, feel or say,” Hasel told the Associated Press late Monday. “This serves as an additional incentive for me to continue writing the same songs.”
Known especially for his often radical anti-establishment criticism, he had previous convictions for assault and praise of armed extremist groups, although he served no time behind bars after being suspended for two years.
This time his imprisonment seemed imminent. The country’s national court issued an arrest warrant on Monday, after a period of 10 days for him to enter prison voluntarily expired on Friday.
But the artist said he would not walk without resistance and draw attention to his case. On Monday, accompanied by about 50 supporters, Hasél barricaded himself inside the rectory of the University of Lleida, in the north-eastern region of Catalonia.
The police need a special permit – which was granted in this case – from the academic authorities to enter the university buildings, which have been the scene of protests in the past.
Defiantly, the rapper wrote on Twitter: “He will have to intervene to take me and lock me up.”
He told the AP that Monday’s events were “a call to organize our solidarity and put pressure on the streets.”
“There is a lot of solidarity from people who understand that this is not just an attack on me,” Hasél added. “But also against our fundamental democratic freedoms. Freedoms that are continually suppressed by the state. When we face aggression against ourselves, we must offer a collective response. ”
Spain’s left-wing coalition government unexpectedly announced last week that it would make changes to the country’s penal code to remove prison sentences for crimes involving freedom of expression. He did not specifically mention Hasél, nor did he set a timetable for the changes.
The proposal is rejected by the conservative opposition party, the People’s Party and the far-right party Vox.
The amendments to the code under a new law on public security, known as the “Law of Gags”, were made in 2015 by the then People’s Party government and have long been criticized by human rights groups and international organizations for potential limitation. of freedom of expression in the name. of protecting state and religious institutions.
“Pablo Hasél’s prison leaves the sword hanging over the heads of all public figures who dare to openly criticize the actions of state institutions, all the more obvious,” the artists’ petition reads.
“We are aware that if we allow Pablo to close, he could come after any of us tomorrow until they can silence any sigh of dissent,” she added.
Amnesty International’s Spanish subsidiary also defended Hasél and urged the government to make legal changes. In a statement last week, the international rights campaign group highlighted other social media users, journalists and artists who have been similarly convicted in the past.
“Expressions that do not clearly and directly incite violence cannot be incriminated,” said AI branch director Esteban Beltrán.
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Ciarán Giles and Aritz Parra from Madrid also contributed.