The controversial teenager, 18-year-old Amos Yee, was jailed twice for posting political and religious criticism online. Firstly, he was sentenced to 4-week backdated jail term in July, 2015, because he was found guilty of two charges - one for making offensive or wounding remarks against Christianity and another for circulating obscene imagery. He made a video mocking Christianity and Singapore’s founding father, Lee Kwan Yew.
Yee faced eight new charges the next year; he was arrested on May 11, 2016, and released on bail of $5,000. Five of the charges Yee faced were for allegedly wounding the religious feelings of Muslims, and one for allegedly wounding the religious feelings of Christians. The other two charges were for allegedly failing to show up at Jurong Police Division on two occasions, despite a notice from Assistant Superintendent of Police Doreen Chong and a magistrate’s order to do so. If convicted, Yee could have spent up to three years in jail in addition to a fine but he was thankfully hit with a jail sentence that only lasted six weeks. He could have been dealt a lot worse.
After that, Yee has been detained in the US since he arrived at Chicago's O'Hare airport in December. He had a tourist visa but told immigration officials he was seeking refuge. The US Department of Homeland Security opposed Mr. Yee's asylum application, but the immigration judge ruled in the teenager's favor. In statement, Ms Grossman, Yee’s lawyer, applauded the judge's decision and said, "The right to free speech is sacred, even when such speech is considered offensive."
Singapore is the country known for its strict rules on free speech, especially when it comes to race and religion and making jokes about it. In 2011, the World Justice Project's Rule of Law Index ranked Singapore among the top countries surveyed with regard to "order and security", "absence of corruption", and "effective criminal justice". However, the country received a much lower ranking for "freedom of speech" and "freedom of assembly". For instance, Singapore has penalties that include judicial corporal punishment in the form of caning, which may be imposed for such offences as rape, rioting, vandalism, and certain immigration offences.
Some Singaporeans empathize with Amos, who has clearly struggled with the country's restrictions. "Congratulations Amos. He can now lead the free life he wants in the free world. It's just his bad luck that he was born in Singapore," said one commenter on Facebook.
Photo Credits: All Singapore Stuff
