Tunisian Rappers Arrested During Show, Waiting on Charges

Rapper Weld El 15 has popular, driven, to-the-point style — “Police, magistrates, I’m here to tell you one thing, you dogs / I’ll kill a policeman instead of a sheep / Give me a gun I’ll shoot them.” — That lyric, translated from his song, “Bolicia Keleb,” has made him the target of arrests, most recently last Thursday:

That’s when security forces interrupted the performance of Tunisian rappers Weld el 15 (Alaa Yaacoub) and Klay BBJ, arresting them and several otheres for allegedly insulting security forces in their songs. They were performing at the International Festival of Hammamet.

According to Ahram Online and The Tunis Times, a Nawaat journalist filmed the arrest, after which, according to Weld el 15’s attorney, he was beaten.

According to The Tunis Times:

The rapper’s lawyer affirmed that his client was repeatedly hit by nightstick particularly on his hand, which left sparse bruises. The victim stated to the reporter that the security forces were beating them relentlessly at the back of the minibus on the track to the police office. Another rapper present next to the bedridden Weld el 15 claimed that the police officers revenged for themselves.

Ahram Online reported that the rappers were released after having their identification cards confiscated, and that Weld el 15 and Klay BBJ are waiting to hear from authorities concerning the charges they will face.

The 25-year-old Yaacoub was only recently freed — on July 2 — after being imprisoned mid-June when a video clip of “Bolicia Keleb” was released.

The video, apparently of their arrest: