Rapper Valtonyc in court for extradition hearing

A court in Belgium declined to issue a ruling Tuesday on Spain's request for the extradition of rapper Jose Miguel Arenas Beltran, also known as Valtonyc.

Beltran fled to Belgium after Spanish authorities sentenced him to prison for allegedly writing lyrics praising terror groups and insulting the Spanish royal family.

Speaking outside the court of appeal in Ghent, the rapper's lawyer Simon Bekaert said Belgium's constitutional court had been asked to deliver an opinion as to whether an old law making it illegal to insult the king violated freedom of speech laws.

"We are pretty confident in the outcome because there is already some case law from the European Court in Strasbourg confirming that this is a breach of freedom of speech,'' Bekaert told reporters.