Tunisia Arrests Rapper Klay BBJ

Police in Tunisia have arrested rapper Klay BBJ, his lawyer said Sunday, two years after the performer was sentenced to jail for insulting a public servant.

It was not immediately clear why Klay BBJ was detained on Saturday, but interior ministry spokesman Walid Louguini told Mosaique FM radio it was at the request of the prosecution.

A judicial source said, however, that the arrest could have been linked "to the consumption of narcotics". If found guilty he could face up to five years in jail.

But Klay BBJ, according to his lawyer Ghazi Mrabet, has denied using drugs.

The rapper, born Ahmed ben Ahmed, was detained in Tunis along with two other people as they were preparing to attend a concert in Hammamet further south, said Mrabet.

In 2013 he was sentenced to 21 months in prison along with fellow rapper Weld El 15 for insulting a public servant, in a case that sparked controversy in Tunisia and calls by rights groups for their release.

Their sentence was later reduced to six months but the pair appealed the ruling and were eventually acquitted.

Klay BBJ is known for writing lyrics that criticize authorities, namely the security forces.

His lawyer said he could be referred to court on Monday, and that authorities could accuse him of having consumed narcotics under so-called law 52.

The legislation which was adopted in 1992, during the reign of the now ousted autocratic regime, has been used to try and jail rappers who have been critical of the security forces.

A civil society group known as "Prisoner 52" has been seeking the scrapping of law 52 which they say is used as a tool to repress freedom of expression.