Josep Miquel Arenas Beltran of his real name had been convicted by the Court of the Balearic Islands in 2017 of defending terrorism in his writings, of having provoked the Crown and threatened with death political figures, and sentenced to three and a half years of detention. The Spanish Supreme Court then confirmed this verdict in February 2018, despite a wave of protests across the country. The start of his sentence having been set for May 24, 2018.

The Mallorcan, however, had left Spain for a trip to Belgium and ultimately never returned. In Ghent, he had met a member of his family before surrendering to the police. He was released under conditions in July 2018 by the investigating judge. Subsequently, the Ghent section of the East Flanders prosecution received a European arrest warrant targeting the artist.

In September 2018, the Council Chamber ruled that Valtònyc should not be extradited. However, the prosecution appealed, handing the case over to the Indictments Chamber in Ghent. The judgment then had to be postponed, the betting chamber having asked two preliminary questions relating to the sanction to the Court of Justice of the European Union in Luxembourg. In March 2020, Valtonyc (photo archives) and his advisers won a first victory before the European Court of Justice.