Ahmed Ben Ahmed (Arabic: Ø£Øمد بن Ø£Øمد‎) (born 17 March
1989 in Tunis), better known by his stage name Klay BBJ, is a Tunisian
rapper, known internationally as a result of multiple legal problems
for insulting a public servant, alleged “consumption of
narcotics†, and continued criticism of authority figures, especially
the police. This includes international reports of arrests in 2013,
2015, and 2017. Le Monde diplomatique said that his continuing legal
problems suggest a notable gap between the behaviors of Tunisian legal
authorities and the official commitment under Article 31 of the
Tunisian Constitution of 2014 that, “Freedom of opinion, thought,
expression, information and publication shall be guaranteed. These
freedoms shall not be subject to prior censorship.†Klay BBJ and
fellow rapper Weld El 15 were jailed at least twice for performing a
song, "The Police are Dogs". Foreign Policy said, "No one else manages
to rile Tunisia's post-revolutionary government quite like rapper Klay
BBJ. ... The trouble at the Hammamet concert late last August, started
when Klay and fellow rapper Weld el 15 (real name Alaa al-Yacoubi)
performed Weld’s song "Boulicia Kleb" ("The Police Are Dogs").
During an intermission soon after, the police killed the music, cut
the spotlights, and stormed the two musicians’ dressing rooms. The
police brought the rappers out, put them in a van, and proceeded to
beat them on the way to the police station, according to Klay." (A
video of this piece appears to have been provided with a Huffington
Post report, but "This video is unavailable", at least on January 17,
2018.)The two were tried in absentia, convicted and sentenced to 21
months in prison. Weld El 15 went into hiding while Klay BBJ was given
a new trial at which he was present. He was again convicted and
sentenced to six months. After three weeks in prison, his conviction
was overturned on appeal. (A report on this ended by saying, "The
video has received more than 3,150,000 hits on Youtube.com and can be
viewed by clicking here. However, clicking there on January 17, 2018,
led to a message, "This video is no longer available because the
YouTube account associated with this video has been terminated.")Klay
BBJ was arrested in 2015 as he was “preparing to attend a
concert†. A news report of the event did not identify any legal
charges against Klay BBJ, though a 'judicial source said ... that the
arrest could have been linked "to the consumption of narcotics"',
which Klay BBJ denied.
1989 in Tunis), better known by his stage name Klay BBJ, is a Tunisian
rapper, known internationally as a result of multiple legal problems
for insulting a public servant, alleged “consumption of
narcotics†, and continued criticism of authority figures, especially
the police. This includes international reports of arrests in 2013,
2015, and 2017. Le Monde diplomatique said that his continuing legal
problems suggest a notable gap between the behaviors of Tunisian legal
authorities and the official commitment under Article 31 of the
Tunisian Constitution of 2014 that, “Freedom of opinion, thought,
expression, information and publication shall be guaranteed. These
freedoms shall not be subject to prior censorship.†Klay BBJ and
fellow rapper Weld El 15 were jailed at least twice for performing a
song, "The Police are Dogs". Foreign Policy said, "No one else manages
to rile Tunisia's post-revolutionary government quite like rapper Klay
BBJ. ... The trouble at the Hammamet concert late last August, started
when Klay and fellow rapper Weld el 15 (real name Alaa al-Yacoubi)
performed Weld’s song "Boulicia Kleb" ("The Police Are Dogs").
During an intermission soon after, the police killed the music, cut
the spotlights, and stormed the two musicians’ dressing rooms. The
police brought the rappers out, put them in a van, and proceeded to
beat them on the way to the police station, according to Klay." (A
video of this piece appears to have been provided with a Huffington
Post report, but "This video is unavailable", at least on January 17,
2018.)The two were tried in absentia, convicted and sentenced to 21
months in prison. Weld El 15 went into hiding while Klay BBJ was given
a new trial at which he was present. He was again convicted and
sentenced to six months. After three weeks in prison, his conviction
was overturned on appeal. (A report on this ended by saying, "The
video has received more than 3,150,000 hits on Youtube.com and can be
viewed by clicking here. However, clicking there on January 17, 2018,
led to a message, "This video is no longer available because the
YouTube account associated with this video has been terminated.")Klay
BBJ was arrested in 2015 as he was “preparing to attend a
concert†. A news report of the event did not identify any legal
charges against Klay BBJ, though a 'judicial source said ... that the
arrest could have been linked "to the consumption of narcotics"',
which Klay BBJ denied.
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