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 A$AP Rocky, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, was detained on
July 3 in connection with a brawl outside a hamburger restaurant
in Stockholm on June 30 and later charged.
The case has drawn huge media attention, particularly since U.S.
President Donald Trump began advocating on behalf of Mayers,
asking Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven to help free him.
Sweden's judiciary is independent of the political system, and
Lofven has said he will not influence the rapper's case.
The prosecution says that following an argument, Mayers threw a
19-year-old man to the ground, after which he and two of his
entourage kicked and punched him.
Mayers and his companions pleaded not guilty at the start of the
trial on Tuesday, saying they had acted in self-defense. Mayers
in testimony on Thursday said he had tried to avoid the fight.
He said he had acted after the alleged victim and his friend
attacked the rapper's bodyguard.
The alleged victim, Mustafa Jafari, has said during testimony he
was also hit on the head with a bottle after he followed
Mayers's group.
Mayers had on Friday swapped prison clothes for a black suit and
white shirt, looking more relaxed than the first two days of the
trial.
The trial has attracted great public interest, and the court
since Thursday has had an extra room set up for the public to
watch it through video link. The courtroom gallery is itself
reserved for media and defendants' family members.
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Friday will see witnesses testify before lawyers and the prosecutor
sum up their arguments.
Unless the trial is extended, the judge will then decide whether
Mayers and his companions remain in custody pending the verdict,
which is likely to come at a later date.
Releasing him from custody could indicate that Mayers will be found
not guilty or that a guilty verdict would lead only to a suspended
sentence or a prison sentence shorter than the time the rapper has
already spent in a cell.
A legal expert at the Prosecution Authority said that if the judge
decides not to detain Mayers further, he will be free to leave the
country.
Mayers, best known for his song "Praise the Lord", was in Stockholm
for a concert. He has canceled several shows across Europe due to
his detention.
(Reporting by Johan Ahlander; Writing by Simon Johnson and Anna
Ringstrom; Editing by Peter Graff and Hugh Lawson)
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