A$AP Rocky Pleads Not Guilty At Assault Trial In Sweden As He Faces Two Years In Jail

A$AP Rocky pleaded not guilty during his trial in Sweden on Tuesday, where he was accused of assaulting a man a month ago.

The rapper, who has been in custody in Stockholm since June 30, was charged with criminal assault after he and his entourage allegedly attacked a 19-year-old man in the Swedish capital. But during his trial, he claimed he acted in self defense after the man and his friend stalked him and his team, and allegedly initiated the altercation.

According to The Daily Mail, the trial took place behind close doors due to the international media attention it has garnered in the past month. Also photographed arriving to court was Rocky’s mother, Renee Black, who watched as her handcuffed son made his way to the dock. The controversial case has made waves in the United States, where several of the artist’s friends and peers accused Sweden of keeping him “hostage” and decided to boycott the Scandinavian country — rappers Tyler, The Creator, Jaden Smith and Schoolboy Q said on social media that they would not be returning to Sweden.

Furthermore, the case was brought to President Donald Trump’s attention after Kanye West and Kim Kardashian discussed it with him, prompting him to contact the Swedish prime minister. As reported by The Guardian, this move also proved fruitless, as PM Stefan Löfven made it clear the government does not interfere with the rule of law in Sweden.

A$AP Rocky, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, is facing two years in jail over claims that he and members of his team hit Mustafa Jafari with a bottle, as well as punching and kicking him. The whole incident went down when Rocky posted a couple of videos on his Instagram page showing the two men following him for a few blocks after claiming his bodyguard had broken his earphones.

However, as previously reported by The Inquisitr, one clip shows Jafari throwing his earphones at Rocky’s bodyguard, and then proceeding to stalk the group as the rapper and members of his entourage beg the two men to leave them alone.

It has also recently been revealed that the alleged victim has a lengthy criminal history. As per The Daily Mail, he has prior drug charges, as well as assault and petty theft convictions. His friend, who will serve as a witness, will be escorted to court by police as he is currently facing theft and knife crime charges.

Fans of the 30-year-old hip hop artist have been rallying behind the #JusticeForRocky movement and will likely follow the outcome of the trial closely.