The Belgian Constitutional Court concludes that the crime lèse majesté is unconstitutional

The resolution comes as the result of a question posed by the Court of Appeal of Ghent, which must rule on the extradition of the rapper Valtònyc, the question being whether the crime violated the right to freedom of expression. The Belgian Constitutional Court ruled that the crime of slandering the King in public violates the right to freedom of expression. The Court considers that the crime and prison sentence it entails provide for a more extensive protection of the King than that of other people, which does not respond to any pressing social need and is disproportionate with regards to the goal of protecting the King. On 23 November, the Ghent Court of Appeal announced, after a hearing, that it would rule on the rapper’s extradition on 28 December.