ASAP Rocky is home. To the great fanfare of his judicially illiterate friends and fans. Safe and sound, no worse for wear.
He’s not out of the woods yet though. At least, he shouldn’t be. For just like the Swedish prosecutor suspected when he denied Rakim Mayers parole before the trial, as soon as the penny mouthful rapper was free of Swedish custody, pending the result of the trial, he bounced. Split with his homies on a private jet back to L.A., pretty much proving the prosecutors right.
So, what now? Well, as of the time of publishing, a verdict has been promised by tomorrow (on the 14th of August). The prosecutor has moved for six months jail time. If that verdict comes to pass, Rakim Mayers, aka. ASAP Rocky, is due to report for another stint of Swedish jail time.
Assuming that the recidivist rapper will show up. And that’s a big assumption.
Because why would he? Why would he go back to Sweden just to serve more time? Well, Sweden has an extradition treaty with the US. So, the US would be obligated, in accordance with that treaty, to send Rocky back.
But will they though?
Here’s a bold prediction: They won’t. The Orange Hydra has proven that he wants to use Rocky as an example, to try and cajole a few simpering votes in his favour ahead of the 2020 election. He’s proven that he doesn’t care about treaties or deals that the US has with other countries. Even that he doesn’t care much for the law at all, whether it’s American or Swedish. And the Mueller report makes it abundantly clear that the Hydra won’t shy away from inserting himself into judiciary processes.
If the Orange Hydra wants to have a say in the extradition of Rakim Mayers, well then, odds are the rapper won’t be turned over to Sweden. No matter what our extradition treaty says.
So what? Well, the US-Swedish extradition treaty has been a hot potato for years now. In Sweden on separate accounts, concerning the CIA and other US agencies picking up Swedish citizens as part of the interventionist “War on Terror”. And internationally, regarding the hotly debated extradition of Julian Assange.
But an extradition treaty, a bilateral one like what the US and Sweden has, is just a contract. Only valid for as long as both parties observe and follow it. For what happens when one of the parties ignore the signed contract? Well, they violate the contract, making obligations for either party null and void. If only the wounded party has enough brass on ’em to call the offender on it.
Here’s my bold proposition: If the US won’t ship Rakim Mayers back to Sweden to face his potential sentence (as is likely that they won’t), and Rocky won’t show up on his own (which I can’t imagine he will), then Sweden is in a sweet position to reject the extradition contract. The US would prove themselves a contract violator (again), and Sweden can step away without any fault. Sweden can make itself free of having to dance to the US extradition fiddle and further cut its obligations to a tyrannical, hegemonic, and volatile bully.
And wouldn’t just that be nice?
/Sebastian Lindberg 13/8-2019
WastedWords 