> #Injuries to the Crown cease to be a crime in Belgium as a result of the Valtònyc case
>
> ##The decision of the Belgian Constitutional Court to overturn a law so far in force makes it more difficult to extradite the Mallorcan rapper to Spain
>
> The Constitutional Court of Belgium considers that the crime of insulting the Crown is no longer in force in that country. This is one of the crimes on which the request for extradition of Spanish justice against the Mallorcan rapper Valtònyc was based.
>
> The petition was based on a Belgian law of 1847 which fixed the crime of offending the king. This article has rarely been applied and on some occasions there has been debate as to why its repeal has been requested.
>
> Now the TC of this country has declared it unconstitutional because it violates an article of the Constitution of Belgium, number 19, which guarantees the freedom to express opinions in all matters.
>
> The rapper’s lawyer, Simon Bekaert, celebrated the decision in a tweet, describing it as a “victory” and also a “historic step in the Belgian legal system”:
>
>
>>*Victory. The constitutional court abolishes the criminal law on lese majesty, by declaring it contrary to freedom of expression. A historic step for our internal Belgian legal order, and good news for the Valtonyc extradition case* —Simon Bekaert
>
>>*I have always been clear that I wanted to put my case in the hands of fundamental rights for a collective benefit. We have succeeded, we have won and Belgium eliminates insults to the crown of the penal code. I didn’t shake my head but you didn’t leave me alone. Thanks.* —Josep ‘Valtònyc’
>
> ###Criticisms of public figures
>
> On this and other cases, the President of the European Court of Human Rights has repeatedly argued that public figures should be able to receive the widest possible margin of criticism.
>
> Now the final decision on extradition must be taken by the Ghent Court of Appeal, which was the one that decided to raise the matter to the Belgian Constitutional Court. I wanted to know if the crime of insulting the Crown for which he was sentenced to three and a half years in prison in Spain, in Belgium falls within the scope of freedom of expression.
>
> The Mallorcan rapper was arrested on August 23, 2012 on charges of exaltation of terrorism, apology for ideological hatred, incitement to violence and insults to the Crown. Five years later, on February 22, 2017, he was convicted by the National High Court.
>
> This is one of the crimes on which the request for extradition of Spanish justice against the Mallorcan rapper, who still has an accusation of terrorism, is based.
Meanwhile, in Spain, you can’t investigate whether or not the king paid taxes [emoji clowns]
Mandatory Fuck Kings and Queens!
So, the guy is a rapper who sang that the king is a fucking thief. They tried to put him in jail for that and managed to flee to Belgium. Spain asked for his extradition and he managed to change a law in Belgium to send a massive fuck off to Spain.
This guy should not be able to walk because of the size of his balls.
I want to point out an error in translation on the title: A better one would be “Insults to the crown” instead of “Injuries to the crown”. “Injúries” in catalan (in spanish “injúrias”) can be translated as insults, offences or slander. It is a false friend.
5 comments
> #Injuries to the Crown cease to be a crime in Belgium as a result of the Valtònyc case
>
> ##The decision of the Belgian Constitutional Court to overturn a law so far in force makes it more difficult to extradite the Mallorcan rapper to Spain
>
> The Constitutional Court of Belgium considers that the crime of insulting the Crown is no longer in force in that country. This is one of the crimes on which the request for extradition of Spanish justice against the Mallorcan rapper Valtònyc was based.
>
> The petition was based on a Belgian law of 1847 which fixed the crime of offending the king. This article has rarely been applied and on some occasions there has been debate as to why its repeal has been requested.
>
> Now the TC of this country has declared it unconstitutional because it violates an article of the Constitution of Belgium, number 19, which guarantees the freedom to express opinions in all matters.
>
> The rapper’s lawyer, Simon Bekaert, celebrated the decision in a tweet, describing it as a “victory” and also a “historic step in the Belgian legal system”:
>
>
>>*Victory. The constitutional court abolishes the criminal law on lese majesty, by declaring it contrary to freedom of expression. A historic step for our internal Belgian legal order, and good news for the Valtonyc extradition case* —Simon Bekaert
>
>>*I have always been clear that I wanted to put my case in the hands of fundamental rights for a collective benefit. We have succeeded, we have won and Belgium eliminates insults to the crown of the penal code. I didn’t shake my head but you didn’t leave me alone. Thanks.* —Josep ‘Valtònyc’
>
> ###Criticisms of public figures
>
> On this and other cases, the President of the European Court of Human Rights has repeatedly argued that public figures should be able to receive the widest possible margin of criticism.
>
> Now the final decision on extradition must be taken by the Ghent Court of Appeal, which was the one that decided to raise the matter to the Belgian Constitutional Court. I wanted to know if the crime of insulting the Crown for which he was sentenced to three and a half years in prison in Spain, in Belgium falls within the scope of freedom of expression.
>
> The Mallorcan rapper was arrested on August 23, 2012 on charges of exaltation of terrorism, apology for ideological hatred, incitement to violence and insults to the Crown. Five years later, on February 22, 2017, he was convicted by the National High Court.
>
> This is one of the crimes on which the request for extradition of Spanish justice against the Mallorcan rapper, who still has an accusation of terrorism, is based.
Meanwhile, in Spain, you can’t investigate whether or not the king paid taxes [emoji clowns]
Mandatory Fuck Kings and Queens!
So, the guy is a rapper who sang that the king is a fucking thief. They tried to put him in jail for that and managed to flee to Belgium. Spain asked for his extradition and he managed to change a law in Belgium to send a massive fuck off to Spain.
This guy should not be able to walk because of the size of his balls.
I want to point out an error in translation on the title: A better one would be “Insults to the crown” instead of “Injuries to the crown”. “Injúries” in catalan (in spanish “injúrias”) can be translated as insults, offences or slander. It is a false friend.