S’PORE TEEN BLOGGER GETS U.S. ASYLUM
Activist Amos Yee granted US protection for ‘fear of future persecution’
ASINGAPOREAN teenager who became notorious for profanitylaced attacks on the city’s revered late leader Lee Kuan Yew was granted asylum by a United States Immigration court, his attorney announced on Tuesday.
Amos Yee, 18, a filmmaker-turned-activist who served two jail terms in Singapore for his controversial videos, was detained by US authorities when he arrived at a Chicago airport in mid-December.
An Immigration appeals court in Chicago last Thursday agreed with a lower court judge’s earlier decision to grant asylum, finding that Yee had a “well-founded fear of future persecution” if he returned to Singapore.
“The applicant was prosecuted for postings on social media that were highly critical of government officials,” the Board of Immigration Appeals said in its ruling.
“We agree with the Immigration judge that the cumulative harm in this case rose to the level of persecution.”
Yee’s attorney, Sandra Grossman, was critical of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for keeping him imprisoned.
“We decry ICE’s decision to detain Mr Yee, especially after his asylum case was granted and after (the Department of Homeland Security) made no arguments, nor presented evidence, that Yee was a threat,” she said.
In the eight-minute video, Yee compared Lee to Jesus, saying “they are both power-hungry and malicious, but deceive others into thinking they are compassionate and kind”.
He was jailed for four weeks for hurting the religious feelings of Christians and for posting an obscene drawing of Lee and former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher. He served 55 days, including penalties, for violating bail conditions.
In September last year, Yee was jailed for six weeks for insulting Muslims and Christians in a series of videos posted online.
The videos were watched hundreds of thousands of times before they were taken down from Yee’s YouTube page. AFP