American rapper ASAP Rocky and two other men believed to be members of his entourage have gone on trial in Sweden in a high-profile legal case that has caught the attention of US President Donald Trump and celebrities.
The trial of the recording artist, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, started in Stockholm District Court, which also has set aside Thursday and Friday for the case.
Mayers’ mother was seen arriving at the court.
Swedish prosecutors allege that the Grammy-nominated rapper and the two other suspects “deliberately, together and in agreement” attacked the alleged victim, Mustafa Jafari, in central Stockholm on June 30.
The charges carry a maximum sentence of two years in prison.
Mayers has been in custody since July 3 and has said he acted in self-defence.
The trial will be held in a secure courtroom “because of the large interest from the media and the public,” the Stockholm court said, noting that no photographing or filming will take place during the proceedings.
Give A$AP Rocky his FREEDOM. We do so much for Sweden but it doesn’t seem to work the other way around. Sweden should focus on its real crime problem! #FreeRocky
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 25, 2019
Prosecutors alleged in more than 500 pages of court documents that the three suspects beat and kicked Mr Jafari while he was on the ground and that he was hit by parts of or a whole bottle.
Prosecutors also said that Mayers pushed Mr Jafari to the ground and the court documents include numerous photos of Mr Jafari’s cuts, bruises and blood-stained clothes.
The rapper’s lawyer, Martin Persson, told Swedish public broadcaster SVT on Monday that he would present the court with new evidence, including showing that “no bottle has been used to hit or injure anyone” and that the violence used was “within the limits of the law”.
A lawyer for Mr Jafari, Magnus Stromberg, said the beating started when one of ASAP Rocky’s guards “grabbed him (Mr Jafari) by the neck and dragged him away” and that Mr Jafari did not provoke the assault.
Mayers’ arrest prompted Mr Trump to intervene on behalf of the jailed rapper and sparked an unusual diplomatic spat when Swedish prosecutors charged the 30-year-old artist last week.
The case has also drawn the attention of American celebrities like Kim Kardashian West and Mayers’ fellow recording artists, including Sean “Diddy” Combs and Justin Bieber, and created the movement #JusticeForRocky soon after the rapper’s arrest.
