A lawyer for Orri Páll Dýrason, the former drummer for Sigur Rós who quit the band in the wake of sexual assault allegations against him, issued a letter to the editorial board of Stundin magazine demanding they engage in no further reporting of the case. Stundin has declined to follow that request.
As reported, artist Meagan Boyd made a post on Instagram detailing that the assault happened in 2013, after meeting Orri in a club. In an Instagram post that followed, she posted screenshots of her email correspondence with Orri after the post went viral. This post was deleted, on account of violating Instagram community standards. Boyd followed up with another Instagram post, saying that she has sent the emails to “a major broadcasting network in Iceland.” Her account has since been set to private.
Stundin reached Meagan, speaking with her and more than one of her friends who said they could back up Meagan’s assertions, for an article they intend to publish in the next print edition of the magazine. They had reached out to Orri for comment, but he had declined.
Yesterday, Stundin received a letter from Orri’s lawyer, Gunnar Ingi Jóhannsson, who asked that Stundin not print any further coverage of this case. The letter contends that the allegations are not only false, but that the sole purpose of Stundin running the article is to “spread serious allegations and increase the readership of the magazine at the cost of the important interests of my client.”
Stundin responded by pointing out the case has not only been covered by virtually media outlet in Iceland, but has also been covered extensively in the international media. They add that the lawyer’s demands “contradict the womens’ freedom of expression, the right of the public to information about what is being talked about in the daily discussion, and the freedom of expression of the media.”
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