Swedish Prime Minister Addresses A$AP Rocky Situation
Yesterday, President Donald Trump phoned Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven to advocate for A$AP Rocky’s release from Swedish jail. He later tweeted, “Just had a very good call with @SwedishPM Stefan Löfven who assured me that American citizen A$AP Rocky will be treated fairly…[I] offered to personally vouch for his bail.” (The Swedish criminal justice system doesn’t include bail.) But a statement from Lofven’s press secretary Toni Eriksson indicates that the call went a little differently, the New York Times reports.
On the 20-minute call, Lofven “underlined that in Sweden everyone is equal before the law and that the government cannot and will not attempt to influence the legal proceedings.” The statement described the interaction as “friendly” and “respectful,” but Rocky won’t be getting any special treatment.
Rocky was arrested on suspicion of assault after getting into a fight in Stockholm earlier this month. He is supposedly being detained in inhumane conditions. A number of celebrities and public figures have been urging his release, from Justin Bieber to the Congressional Black Caucus.
Last Friday, a court in Stockholm approved a prosecutors’ request to detain Rocky for at least six more days. Another hearing on 7/25 will determine whether he should be detained further.