SINGAPORE — Activist Jolovan Wham was found guilty on Friday (Jan 7) of taking part in an unlawful assembly for holding a sign outside the former State Courts building in 2018.
Standing on the steps to the building's entrance, Wham held a piece of paper that read: “Drop the charges against Terry Xu and Daniel De Costa”.
He then arranged for a photo to be taken of himself holding up the sign and uploaded it on Facebook with the hashtag #insolidarity.
Xu, the former chief editor of the defunct sociopolitical website The Online Citizen, and De Costa were about to face criminal defamation charges that day for publishing an article alleging corruption within the highest ranks of the Government.
On Friday, District Judge Eugene Teo convicted 42-year-old Wham after the civil rights activist claimed trial to the sole charge of taking part in a prohibited assembly.
The judge ruled that the prosecution had proved beyond reasonable doubt that Wham's actions that morning constituted an illegal assembly.
During the trial, Wham offered no evidence and chose to remain silent.
His lawyers argued that the act of holding a sign for a few seconds for a quick photoshoot did not cross the threshold required to constitute an assembly.
The judge disagreed. Wham’s actions “clearly demonstrated his support for the views and actions of Mr Terry Xu and Mr Daniel De Costa, and his opposition to the state in prosecuting them for their actions”, he said.
The judge added that while surveillance footage showed that no passersby paid any heed to his actions, Wham posted a photo of his protest on Facebook to broadcast his message.
More at https://www.todayonline.com/singapo...-outside-former-state-courts-building-1786046
