US Ambassador warned Sweden of “negative consequences” if ASAP Rocky wasn’t released from jail

Ben Kaye

The post US Ambassador warned Sweden of “negative consequences” if ASAP Rocky wasn’t released from jail appeared first on Consequence of Sound.

No thanks to President Trump’s efforts, ASAP Rocky is back on American soil. The rapper was released from jail pending a verdict in his assault trial in Sweden and allowed to return home late last week. However, a US Ambassador would have liked to see him set free even sooner — and warned Sweden of “potentially negative consequences” if he wasn’t.

The Swedish Prosecution Authority has released a letter sent to them from Robert O’Brien, the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs (via NBC), as well as their response. In O’Brien’s note, he made a plea to “resolve this case as soon as possible to avoid potentially negative consequences to the U.S.-Swedish bilateral relationship.” He also sought to have ASAP Rocky removed from jail ahead of his trial and put up “in a local Stockholm hotel” while the trial was ongoing.

Of course, Sweden’s Prosecutor-General Petra Lundh wasn’t swayed by the vague threat. Citing the Swedish Constitution, she replied, “…No other prosecutor, not even I, may interfere with a specific case or try to affect the prosecutors responsible for the case in how he or she should decided or otherwise act with regard to the case.”

This is similar to what Prime Minister Stefan Löfven told Trump when the POTUS called him personally to ask for ASAP’s release. “I [explained] that the Swedish judicial system is independent. In Sweden, everyone is equal before the law, and this includes visitors from other countries,” he said.

You can read the full letters to and from Lundh at NBC.

Nearly a month after being arrested on assault charges against 19-year-old Afghani political refugee named Mustafa Jafari, ASAP Rocky and two members of his security team were allowed to return home on Friday. Rocky’s trial was held last week, during which he took the stand to testify he had acted in self-defense. Jafari claims ASAP Rocky and his crew attacked him, with some using glass bottles that resulted in his most serious injuries.

US Ambassador warned Sweden of “negative consequences” if ASAP Rocky wasn’t released from jail
Ben Kaye

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