Amnesty International: Spanish rappers La Insurgencia sentenced

“Sending rappers to jail for song lyrics and outlawing political satire demonstrates how narrow the boundaries of acceptable online speech have become in Spain,” Director of Amnesty International Spain says in a new post at Amnesty’s website this month. The group has released a new report on attacks on freedom of expression in that country.

Under an article of the Spanish Criminal Code, those deemed to have “glorified terrorism” or “humiliated the victims of terrorism or their relatives” face fines, bans from jobs in the public sector and prison sentences, Amnesty writes.

In December 2017, twelve rappers from the collective La Insurgencia were fined, sentenced to prison terms, and banned from working in the public sector for their lyrics. Amnesty notes that they are just some of many artists who have been prosecuted under the law.

“Spain is emblematic of a disturbing trend which has seen states across Europe unduly restricting expression on the pretext of national security and stripping away rights under the guise of defending them,” said Amnesty’s Campaigner on Counter-Terrorism in the post.

Below is just one of the videos at the collective’s YouTube channel that highlights the group’s politics.

Photo: Amnesty International


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