SINGAPORE - A Singaporean teenager arrested after posting an expletive-laden YouTube video attacking the country's late founding leader Lee Kuan Yew and Christianity was charged Tuesday with jailable offences including obscenity and hurting religious feelings.
Amos Yee, a slight student with a thick mop of hair, smiled and fidgeted as charges were read to him in a district court. He was released on S$20,000 bail.
Outside the courtroom, his teary-eyed father clasped his hands and told reporters: "I would like to take this opportunity to say very sorry to PM Lee".
But his son later smiled and waved to reporters as they left the court building.
The controversial video has been taken down from the teenager's YouTube page but others have reproduced it in part or in full.
In an online petition to the Singapore government on activist website change.org, petitioners who described themselves as Christians have called for Yee's release. It had garnered more than 1,500 supporters by Tuesday afternoon.
"Please release Amos Yee. We forgive him and desire he have a full life of contribution to his community ahead of him," read the letter.
But others criticised Yee's actions.
"Please Amos, be rational and not be rash. There's nothing worse than causing distress to ur (sic) family," wrote Gladys Elizabeth Dee on the Yahoo! Singapore Facebook page.
If convicted, Yee faces up to three years in jail, a fine, or both for the first charge of deliberately wounding religious or racial feelings.
For circulating obscene content, he faces up to three months in jail, a fine or both, and a fine of up to S$5,000 under the harassment law enacted last year.
Lee was credited with laying the foundations for Singapore's prosperity as prime minister from 1959 to 1990. More than 100,000 people lined the streets for his casket's final procession despite torrential rain Sunday.
The government says 454,687 people - out of a population of 5.5 million - paid their last respects to Lee before his public wake ended in parliament on Saturday.
- See more at: http://news.asiaone.com/news/singap...-anti-lee-kuan-yew-video#sthash.7eTrWr77.dpuf
Amos Yee, a slight student with a thick mop of hair, smiled and fidgeted as charges were read to him in a district court. He was released on S$20,000 bail.
Outside the courtroom, his teary-eyed father clasped his hands and told reporters: "I would like to take this opportunity to say very sorry to PM Lee".
But his son later smiled and waved to reporters as they left the court building.
The controversial video has been taken down from the teenager's YouTube page but others have reproduced it in part or in full.
In an online petition to the Singapore government on activist website change.org, petitioners who described themselves as Christians have called for Yee's release. It had garnered more than 1,500 supporters by Tuesday afternoon.
"Please release Amos Yee. We forgive him and desire he have a full life of contribution to his community ahead of him," read the letter.
But others criticised Yee's actions.
"Please Amos, be rational and not be rash. There's nothing worse than causing distress to ur (sic) family," wrote Gladys Elizabeth Dee on the Yahoo! Singapore Facebook page.
If convicted, Yee faces up to three years in jail, a fine, or both for the first charge of deliberately wounding religious or racial feelings.
For circulating obscene content, he faces up to three months in jail, a fine or both, and a fine of up to S$5,000 under the harassment law enacted last year.
Lee was credited with laying the foundations for Singapore's prosperity as prime minister from 1959 to 1990. More than 100,000 people lined the streets for his casket's final procession despite torrential rain Sunday.
The government says 454,687 people - out of a population of 5.5 million - paid their last respects to Lee before his public wake ended in parliament on Saturday.
- See more at: http://news.asiaone.com/news/singap...-anti-lee-kuan-yew-video#sthash.7eTrWr77.dpuf
