More than a week after he was first arrested by Swedish law enforcement, the US State Department have revealed they are “actively monitoring” the rapper while he is held in detention.
Over the weekend, news came to light that US rapper A$AP Rocky had been placed in detention by Swedish police following his arrest over an alleged assault that took place days earlier.
Taking to Instagram last weekend, Rocky shared two videos of some unidentified men who were reportedly harassing him and his crew.
“We don’t know these guys and we didn’t want trouble, they followed us for 4 blocks, and they were slapping girls’ butts who passed, give me a break,” he noted, before later explaining that “we don’t want no problems with these boys, they keep following us.”
However, another video – acquired by TMZ – showed A$AP Rocky laying hands on one of the men, kicking and punching one of them after they had been thrown to the ground.
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Soon, it was revealed that A$AP Rocky is being held for a two-week period of detention while Swedish officials investigated the matter to determine if there was sufficient evidence for a trial.
Now though, a number of sources have come forward to describe the “inhumane” conditions that the rapper is being held in while the matter is being investigated.
According to TMZ, sources have noted that A$AP Rocky is “is sleeping on a yoga mat with no blankets,” while adding that “there is a prisoner in the next cell with severe mental issues who slams his head against the concrete wall and hurls feces every which way … feces that are not cleaned up.”
TMZ also reported that a member of the US Consulate visited Rocky in detention, only to remark that “walking into that place was like walking into a toilet.”
Similarly, another source has spoken to People, explaining that “the conditions of the facility are horrific.”
“Some of the inhumane conditions Rocky and his colleagues are facing at the Stockholm Detention Center include 24/7 solitary confinement, restriction of amenities for the most basic of human functions, access to palatable and life-sustaining food as well as unsanitary conditions.
“Rocky is now being detained for an unknown period of time until they have a trial and he is having his legal and basic human rights ignored while being forced to live in inhumane conditions — all for acting in self-defense.”
In light of this, the prison’s governor – Fredrik Wallin – has gone on to record to deny these allegations, stating that he refutes “the picture of prison Kronoberg which is described in the article in TMZ. To exemplify, prison staff and prisoners drink the same municipal tap water.”
According to Spin, a representative from the US Department of State was asked for comment, and while they did not mention A$AP Rocky by name, they noted they “are aware” of a US citizen’s arrest in Sweden, and stated that “We take seriously our responsibility to assist U.S. citizens abroad and are actively monitoring the situation.”
At this stage, the status of the investigation into A$AP Rocky’s assault charge is unclear, but fans of the rapper are undoubtedly hoping for a speedy resolution to what is turning into a rather unfortunate ordeal.
Check out ‘Praise The Lord (Da Shine)’ by A$AP Rocky:
