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MOSCOW – A popular Russian rapper was sentenced Thursday to 12 days in jail for playing on a car after prosecutors banned his performance.
Husky, who has many followers among young Russians with his videos that have been seen more than 6 million times on YouTube, was arrested on Wednesday. A court in the southern city of Krasnodar has sentenced Husky for hooliganism.
The 25-year-old rapper, known for his songs mocking the authorities and police brutality, was scheduled to perform in Krasnodar when local prosecutors warned the meeting venue that his act contained elements of what they called "extremism".
In recent years, the Russian authorities have used the vaguely worded extremist law to attack Kremlin critics and dissidents.
Wednesday's concert was transferred to another club, where electricity was cut off and Husky fans went out. The videos posted online showed that the rapper, whose real name is Dmitry Kuznetsov, read his verses over a car and that the fans sang in unison.
The police officers let him finish the song and then stopped him, but had trouble getting in because crowds of supporters blocked the police vehicle, demanding his release. The police finally persuaded them to disperse.
The local police also said that the owner of the car Husky was traveling on had filed a claim for property damage, a charge that could result in a longer prison term. It was not immediately clear if the authorities were going to bring these charges.
The rapper told the court that he had been forced to perform on the street because his concert had been canceled without explanation. He said he was ready to pay compensation for any damage to the vehicle.
"I did so because I was in a situation where I felt obliged to talk to people who had bought tickets," he told the court.
Husky's black-and-white videos make fun of a political regime that expects tacit compliance from its citizens. A new wave of Russian rap musicians is widely recognized to channel the frustration of young Russians into the political system and the lack of economic prospects.
Authorities in other Russian regions have also decided to ban Husky's concerts.
Husky said in a social media article last month that officials in several Russian cities were pressuring the scene to stop broadcasting because his songs offend Christian believers and promote promiscuity.
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Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow contributed to this report.
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