This archive report was first published on 14 August 2019.
On August 14, 2019, a Stockholm court delivered its verdict in the high-profile case of ASAP Rocky, a US rapper accused of assault. The court found him guilty, but he will not serve any more jail time due to time already served.
ASAP Rocky, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, was accused of assaulting a 19-year-old man, Mustafa Jafari, in a street brawl on June 30, 2019. The court found that the assault was not of a serious nature that would warrant a prison sentence.
According to the court's judgment, ASAP Rocky and his two co-defendants, Bladimir Emilio Corniel and David Tyrone Rispers, were not entitled to use violence in self-defense. The court ordered them to pay Mr. Jafari damages, awarding 12,500 Swedish kronor, approximately $1,300, for pain, insult, and injuries.
President Trump had become involved in the case, with his wife, Kim Kardashian West, seeking his help in securing ASAP Rocky's release from jail. The President dispatched a special envoy for hostage affairs, Robert O'Brien, to watch over the trial and warned of 'negative consequences' for American-Swedish relations if ASAP Rocky was not released.
