MALIAN singer Rokia Traore, arrested in Italy over three weeks ago due to an international child custody dispute, has appealed to EU judges to block an extradition request from Belgium, her lawyer informed Reuter.
Reuters reports that Traore, 50, a renowned African vocalist and UNHCR goodwill ambassador, was apprehended on June 20 at Rome’s Fiumicino airport under a European arrest warrant. She had received a two-year prison sentence in Belgium last October related to a child custody case.
Since her arrest, Traore has been incarcerated in Civitavecchia, near Rome. She had travelled to Italy for a concert near the Colosseum.
Her Italian lawyer, Maddalena Del Re, told Reuters that Traore was sentenced in Belgium in absentia, potentially without knowledge of the trial, and without legal representation. Del Re cited this as possible grounds to oppose extradition and has requested the EU court in Luxembourg to rule on the matter.
A Rome appeal court prosecutor has agreed to allow Traore house arrest if she can secure accommodation in Rome.
According to Reuters, Traore was previously arrested in France in 2020 on a Belgian warrant for failing to surrender her daughter to her Belgian ex-partner. After conditional release, she flew to Mali against orders, where her 9-year-old daughter currently resides.
Traore’s lawyer is seeking EU court intervention to prevent her extradition to Belgium.
Traoré is a Malian-born singer, songwriter and guitarist. She made six albums between 1998 and 2016. Bowmboï won the Critics Award category at the BBC Radio 3 Awards for World Music in 2004 and Tchamantché won Victoires de la Musique World Music Album of the Year in 2009.
