A$AP Rocky's arrest has been upsetting for a variety of reasons. Not only did footage clearly point to an act of self-defense, but reports of his sordid jail conditions have made matters all the more troubling. Yesterday, TMZ issued a disturbing report on the facilities where Rocky is being held. Apparently, Flacko has been forced to sleep on a yoga mat without blankets, all while a nearby prisoner takes to throwing feces. With inedible food and water, Rocky has been resigned to an apple a day.
TMZ also notes that a clear violation of the Vienna Convention for Consular Relations has transpired, making the situation all the more dubious. As the treaty states, when a United States citizen is arrested on foreign soil, he or she must be granted a meeting with a U.S. Consulate. Apparently, when Rocky requested the meeting, the Consulate was denied access by Swedish authorities. That in itself is a massive human rights violation, especially given the suspected reason put forth by the publication's findings: the Consulate believes that the conditions are so deplorable, the Swedish authorities refused the meeting as a precaution. While the Consulate was eventually granted access to Rocky two days later, they were unable to have a private meeting, being shadowed by a pair of Swedish guards.
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At this point, one has to wonder what's going to happen to Flacko. Should they indeed let him walk at the end of his two-week detainment, what was the point of this macabre dog-and-pony show? And worse, if they do decide to move forward with the charges, what's stopping them from throwing the book at the rapper, whom they've already failed to treat with basic human decency. Awareness of this predicament has never been more important, and while a few boycott ideas have been thrown around via Twitter, the spotlight needs to be turned to max intensity.
Considering the clear violations of human rights going on, you'd expect many of the major news outlets to be raising awareness for Rocky's plight. Yet aside from the music-based publications, many news outlets have neglected to shine a light on the situation. CNN reported about it on July 3rd, in a story that covered his initial detainment. MSNBC has yet to cover the story at all. You already know Fox News didn't say anything. The New York Times did their due diligence to an extent, but the Wall Street Journal hasn't said a peep. At the end of the day, all signs point to a severe injustice being done to an American citizen who acted out in self-defense, who is currently facing the possibility of six years in a Swedish prison. We almost lost Gangsta Gibbs to this business. Let's not lose another one.
Free Rocky!
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