Belgium refuses to extradite Catalan rapper Valtonyc to Spain

Spanish rapper Jose Miguel Arenas Beltran, better known as Valtonyc, poses for photos as he leaves a court in Ghent on November 23, 2021. AFP - FRANCOIS WALSCHAERTS

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The Mallorcan rapper Valtonyc, who sings in Catalan, made himself known by his texts very hostile to the Spanish state and the monarchy.

Refugee in Belgium since 2018 to escape a sentence of three and a half years in prison, he saw this Tuesday, December 28 the Belgian justice once again reject the transfer request issued by the Spanish justice.

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With our correspondent in Brussels,

Valtonyc, whose real name is Josep Miquel Arenas Beltran, was convicted in Spain in 2018 for having, among other things, insulted the crown, by speaking of " 

 " and for having defended terrorism with texts referring to the Basques of ETA or the Maoists of Grapo.

The Belgian constitutional court invalidated the lèse majesté law of 1847 in October. There is therefore no longer any law in Belgium which corresponds to the Spanish indictment against Valtonyc, according to the judges of the indictments chamber of Ghent. .

Like the Catalan independence leader Carles Puigdemont, whom he frequents in Belgium, he therefore goes to see his exile continue.

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Limits of the European arrest warrant

After his escape to Belgium in May 2018 to escape prison, the rapper quickly surrendered to the police.

The Spanish justice had therefore sent its Belgian counterpart a European arrest warrant to demand his transfer.

Since then, Valtonyc has multiplied appeals and his case has even been the subject of proceedings before the European Court of Justice.

The European arrest warrant was put in place to replace extraditions between EU countries by simple judicial transfers.

The cases of Valtonyc and Carles Puigdemont create real precedents which limit the effects of European arrest warrants.

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