Jolovan Wham charged over assembly at State Courts and vigils near Changi Prison

Singapore activist Jolovan Wham has been handed five fresh charges over public actions opposing the death penalty, including an assembly at the State Courts and candlelight vigils near Changi Prison.

The 46-year-old is accused of organising an assembly at about 10.20am on Feb. 3, 2025, at the State Courts to publicise the cause of abolishing capital punishment in Singapore. The location is a prohibited area.

Wham is also accused of attending candlelight vigils near Changi Prison on Nov. 22 and Nov. 29, 2024, and Jan. 23, 2025. The vigils marked the executions of inmates. Police separately allege that he refused to answer questions from a station inspector when questioned at Bedok Police Division on Nov. 28 about the vigil held six days earlier.

He was fined S$10,500 in May over charges under the Public Order Act for attending candlelight vigils marking inmate executions. Two further charges remain pending over alleged participation in public assemblies in 2022 linked to the execution of a drug offender.

The case was adjourned for a pre-trial conference later in September. If convicted of organising an assembly in a prohibited area, Wham could face up to six months in jail, a fine of up to S$10,000, or both. Refusing to answer an authorised public servant’s question carries the same maximum jail term and a fine of up to S$5,000, while participating in an assembly without a permit can bring a fine of up to S$5,000.