State. Ministry calls on Sweden to treat rapper ASAP Rocky fairly

The State Department is worried about the arrest and detention of a US rapper in Sweden and urges the Swedish government to treat him fairly, according to a statement shared exclusively with POLITICO.

ASAP Rocky, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, was arrested on July 2 after voluntarily visiting police in Stockholm to question him about a street fight in which he was involved.

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A spokesman for the state department said the department was aware of the case and that state secretary Mike Pompeo had been informed. The highest officials in the department, including Robert O'Brien, the president's special envoy to the hostages, are also closely monitoring the situation and ensuring that the rapper is treated fairly.

"There are certainly facts about the arrest and detention that cause concern," said the spokesman. "We expect all governments, including Sweden, to treat American citizens with fairness and respect. … We hope to see Rocky and his colleagues on tour again as soon as possible and soon meet friends and family. "

Swedish prosecutors must decide by Friday whether to indict Rocky, who is kept in solitary confinement, or to ask a court to let them keep longer.

Rocky and his entourage, who were in Stockholm for the Smash Music Festival, were walking around the city "worrying about their belongings" on June 30, after being verbally harassed by two men who had begun to follow them, according to a person close to the rapper.

Finally, after one of them took "a fighting stance and then punched" Rocky's bodyguard and hit him, both sides quickly started to fight.

"They obviously spoiled for a fight," said the person close to Rocky. The person added that the rapper and his team "had no choice but to defend themselves" and that the two men who had approached Rocky and his colleagues had been physically first. The person also stated that Rocky was "eager to defend himself and defend his name" in court if charges were laid.

A TMZ video Rocky shows throwing across the street one of the men who followed him and his entourage. The video also shows members of Rocky's group kicking and hitting the person.

Rocky posted a video on Instagram with his side of the story, which showed his bodyguard telling men to stop following them.

"So, some addicts are not my fans, we do not know them and we did not want any problems, they followed us for 4 blocks, and they slapped the buttocks of the girls who had passed, give me a break "he writes. Another video Rocky showed that one of the men was fighting with his bodyguard and was throwing headphones at him.

Alan Jackson, a Rocky lawyer, told POLITICO: "President Trump has made the repatriation of unjustly detained Americans a top priority for his administration. The State Department's interest in the case gives us great hope for the Rocky situation.

"Secretary Pompeo and Ambassador O'Brien have made unyielding diplomatic efforts for US citizens imprisoned around the world. Millions of Rocky fans around the world trust the State Department for Rocky to return home.

Article 36 of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations requires signatory countries to immediately notify consular officials when arresting a foreign citizen, but this did not happen for hours in the case from Rocky, according to the person close to Rocky.

A State Department official was also initially denied access to Rocky, but when he was granted, he could no longer have a private conversation with the rapper because two Swedish security guards were within range. of voice.

The Swedish embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the case.

Rocky was first incarcerated for four days in a "relatively foul" facility with a "terrible stench," "dirty, dirty, and disgusting," according to the person close to the rapper. He was later transferred to a detention center where conditions are "significantly better".

Celebrities including Justin Bieber and Shawn Mendes have posted social media messages in support of Rocky, and more than 580,000 people have signed a "#JusticeForRocky". petition on Change.org to urge Sweden to release him.

The representative Adriano Espaillat (DN.Y.), whose district includes Harlem, whose Rocky native is from, said that he had "seen the recording of what had happened and that he had not seen it. he was clearly provoked, harassed, followed and accosted, and I think he acted in self-defense. "Espaillat also raised concerns about the conditions of Rocky's prison and told Complex.com that he would fight until he was brought home. The legislator sent letters on the case to the State Department, the US Embassy in Sweden and the Swedish ambassador to the United States, Karin Olofsdotter.