Source: Blabbermouth.net
Ashmedi, frontman for Sumerian black/thrash pioneers MELECHESH, was recently arrested for assault in his hometown of Jerusalem.
As rumors about the incident have spread over the past two weeks, he has decided to speak out on the situation.
He says in a statement: “While on vacation in Jerusalem, I was arrested for beating up somebody in a bar fight. After three days in jail and a 3000-dollar bail plus 18000-dollar contingent guarantee, I was placed under house arrest for the last seven weeks and will remain under house arrest until the court sets a date for a trial. Then the judge will decide what will happen next.
“I was having a nice night out at a friend’s bar. After several verbal provocations and then verbal death threats to me, I acted in what to me seemed self-defense and finished it. Normally, people know me, I often stop fights and buy people drinks to calm them down — this time shit hit the fan….
“Well, it was a stupid bar fight, which is not my style, really, yet things got out of hand and the vacation turned into a nightmare, three days jail and now I am still under house arrest for the last seven weeks ’till a yet-unknown court date. The fortunate news, however, is that I will be given permission to do the MELECHESH concert in Jerusalem, so I can go out for a few hours to rehearse with my guys and the next day naturally perform with MELECHESH.”
Ashmedi was granted permission to rehearse with the rest of the band who are flying to Israel for tomorrow’s concert in Jerusalem. The show will mark MELECHESH‘s first appearance in the city since the summer of 1998.
MELECHESH is continuing to support its latest album, “Enki”, which was released in early 2015 via Nuclear Blast.