Spanish Rapper Pablo Hasél Faces Prison for Insulting the King

Spain’s National Court announced that Spanish rapper Pablo Rivadulla Duró, known by the artist name Pablo Hasél, will be imprisoned for insulting the crown and allegedly glorifying terrorism.

The news was reported by the artist himself through his social media networks: “They’ve given me ten days to enter prison,” he wrote. “In the end there hasn’t been enough solidarity to stop this, something that affects the majority of people as we do not have our freedom of expression guaranteed. They are going to imprison me for telling objective facts, but they will never break me.”

Me han dado 10 días para ingresar en prisión. Al final no ha habido la suficiente solidaridad para parar esto que nos afecta a la mayoría que no tenemos garantizada la libertad de expresión. Van a encarcelarme por contar hechos objetivos, pero jamás van a doblegarme. pic.twitter.com/xeJzdM71wi

— Pablo Hasel (@PabloHasel) January 28, 2021

Two different court cases carry three years in jail. To the two years of one of the sentences, and nine months of another, will be added three more months because the artist refuses to pay a fine decreed by the sentence, thus increasing his days in jail.

The problem: the rebellious lyrics of his songs and social media posts. Through them, he denounced the monarchy for “plundering and squandering” the money of the Spanish people. Hasél called for an uprising against the fascist state, and referred to the royal family as parasites. He also characterized former King of Spain Juan Carlos I—currently under investigation for improper business dealings with Saudi Arabia—as a Bourbon mafioso.

https://twitter.com/ChalecosAmarill/status/1354785541095620618

Hasél: I am not going to prison
Hasél assured that the sentence, by means of which he is asked to voluntarily enter prison, will not make him renounce his ideas and revolutionary actions. He demonstrated no regret for anything he expressed in his lyrics, in which he strongly criticized the Spanish crown for its parasitic life.

“This constant harassment that I have suffered for many years, and that goes beyond the prison sentence, is not only because of my revolutionary songs,” wrote the artist in a statement. “It is also because of my militancy beyond music and writing. Putting into practice the struggle I talk about in my songs is what has put me in the spotlight, in addition to supporting organizations that have fought the State; being in solidarity with their political prisoners and raising awareness by denouncing injustices, and pointing loud and clear to their culprits.”

Meanwhile, several deputies of the Unidas Podemos party described the Audienca Nacional’s decision as a “shameful” violation of the right to freedom of expression.

Jaume Asens, president of the parliamentary group of Podemos, said that it was a “shame that while justice guarantees the impunity of Franco’s torturers, someone is persecuted for singing,” and expressed solidarity with Hasél.