A Russian court has sentenced rapper Husky to 12 days in jail for standing on the hood of a car after police raided a venue where he was due to perform.
Dmitry Kuznetsov, 25, who is better known by his stage name Husky, was detained in the southern Russian city of Krasnodar after the authorities disrupted his third gig within a month. Last week, YouTube in Russia blocked the music video to his song “Judas” — which includes the lyric “I have terrorists on the line.”
A Krasnodar court sentenced Husky to 12 days for petty hooliganism, the Open Russia NGO’s human rights branch said Thursday.
Later that evening, the court handed the rapper three days behind bars for refusing a drug and alcohol exam, which he will serve alongside the 12-day sentence. The judge reportedly threw out one count of unlawful assembly. Husky may now miss at least six of his next shows.
Open Russia’s rights group said the defense plans to appeal the sentence.
Russian artists have faced increasing pressure from the authorities in recent months, including bans on music videos and blacklisted songs over indecent lyrics and alleged extremism.
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