Valtonyc ‘meets criteria’ for protection by Artists at Risk

The Finnish entity Artists AT Risk (AR), dedicated to the protection of artists worldwide, could work with rapper Valtonyc. The founders of AR, Marita Muukkonen and Ivor Stodolsky, stated the possibility to aid the musician, whose whereabouts are currently unknown, should he want their assistance. Muukkonen and Stodolsky are in Barcelona to inaugurate the Barcelona Creative Commons Film Festival (BccN).

Whereabouts unknown

“Valtonyc meets all the criteria” to be helped by AR, explained Stodolsky. “He’s definitely at risk, because he could be incarcerated for illegitimate reasons, he’s a talented artist and we have space to welcome him for a time,” the Finnish activist added.

The Mallorcan hip-hop artist Josep Miquel Arenas, known as Valtonyc, was sentenced to three and a half years in prison by the Spanish judiciary for the contents of his song lyrics. His whereabouts are currently unknown and Spain has issued an international arrest warrant against him.

Awarded by the European Parliament

Artists at Risk (AR), describes itself as an “institution at the intersection of human rights and the arts,” which is “dedicated to mapping the field of persecuted visual art practitioners.” They also aim to facilitate “their safe passage from their countries of origin,” including by procuring travel documents, providing legal assistance, and hosting them at what they call “AR-Residencies.”

There are about 600 volunteers who participate in Artists at Risk throughout various European cities. It was started by organization Perpetuum Mobile in 2011, which was awarded the European Citizen’s Prize for the initiative in 2016 by the European Parliament.