Young Thug’s lawyer filed an emergency motion with the Georgia Superior Court on Friday (May 13), stating that the rapper has been imprisoned in “inhumane” conditions and seeking that he be granted a “expeditious” bond hearing or be housed in a “non-torturous” setting while in jail, Billboard reported.
“Specifically, the State of Georgia, by and through its public officials, has detained Mr. Williams in dungeon-like conditions,” wrote lawyer Brian Steel in the filing (Young Thug’s real name is Jeffrey Williams).
Those conditions are said to include “solitary confinement/total isolation,” a “windowless cement compartment with only a bed and a toilet and an overhead light that remains on 24 hours per day, preventing any sleep, rest, or meditation,” “no access to any type of media,” including TV or the internet, and no opportunities to “exercise, shower, or have human contact” other than with his lawyers.
Steel asserts Young Thug’s innocence throughout the filing and criticizes prosecutors for citing lyrics to a song to endorse the rapper’s accusations, which are included in the a grand 88-page indictment filed against Young Thug and 27 others, which includes fellow rapper Gunna, on Monday (May 9).
“To weaponize these words by charging overt acts to support a supposed conspiracy is unconscionable and unconstitutional pursuant” Steel writes, citing both the US Constitution and the Georgia state constitution.
Gunna’s lawyers criticized the use of music lyrics to back up charges against the rapper on Thursday (May 12), warning that it could result in criminal charges against “any artist with a song referencing violence,” as others have stated repeatedly.
