Singapore High Court Convicts Trio Over Pro-Palestinian Procession

Singapore's High Court has overturned the acquittal of three women previously cleared of organizing a pro-Palestinian procession, imposing fines of S$3,000 each. The women, Mossammad Sobikun Nahar, Siti Amirah Mohamed Asrori, and Annamalai Kokila Parvathi, were found guilty of organizing a procession publicizing solidarity with the Palestinian people along the perimeter of the Istana on February 2, 2024.

Justice See Kee Oon's decision on Thursday (Apr 30) corrected a legal error by the district judge, who had failed to correctly apply the legal test. The High Court determined that the trio should have made the necessary inquiries to ascertain the prohibition order relevant to their chosen route. This contrasts with the district court's finding that the women lacked actual knowledge of the prohibition.

The procession involved approximately 70 individuals walking from Plaza Singapura to the Istana's rear gate to deliver letters concerning the Palestinian cause to the Prime Minister's Office. While the women were initially acquitted by District Judge John Ng, the prosecution successfully appealed, arguing that the judge had conflated actual knowledge with what the women reasonably ought to have known.

Justice See expressed concern over the district judge's brief oral grounds, noting they were surprisingly longer than his written grounds. Although the prosecution did not seek jail time, the defense lawyer requested a S$3,000 fine, which the court imposed. The Public Order Act allows for penalties of up to six months imprisonment, a S$10,000 fine, or both for organizing processions in prohibited areas.