LLEIDA – A rapper in Spain and dozens of his supporters locked themselves inside a university building Monday in the artist's latest attempt to avoid a prison sentence for insulting the country's monarchy and praising terrorism.
The case of Pablo Hasél, 32, has drawn increasing attention in Spain and has been linked to the government's sudden announcement to change a national law that is deemed to curtail freedom of expression.
Over 200 artists, including film director Pedro Almodóvar and actor Javier Bardem, signed a petition last week in support of the rapper.
The artist, whose real name is Pablo Rivadulla Duró, is due to serve a reduced sentence from 2018 of nine months in prison for tweets and songs he posted between 2014 and 2016