Singapore court convicts duo over FB posts

SINGAPORE: A Singapore court has convicted a rights activist and an opposition politician of contempt of court, punishable by up to three years in jail, for online comments posted on Facebook, the first such ruling under a new law.

The city state’s High Court yesterday found Jolovan Wham, a vocal government critic, and John Tan, a member of the opposition Singapore Democratic Party, guilty of ”scandalising the judiciary” with the social media posts.

The posts “posed a risk that public confidence in the administration of justice would be undermined,” Judge Woo Bih Li said in his ruling.

Wham’s post “impugned the integrity and impartiality of Singapore’s judges and thus the Singapore courts” by implying that judges were not independent and were partial to the government, he added.

Tan’s post supporting the comments similarly impugned the court’s integrity, the judge said.

The convictions were the first under the Administration of Justice (Protection) Act that took effect a year ago, the Singapore Attorney General’s Chambers said, with sentencing set for Nov 7.

Convictions carry a fine of up to S$100,000 (RM300,000) in addition to the maximum term of three years.

New York-based Human Rights Watch, which has urged Singapore to repeal laws and rules it says restrict free speech and public assembly, said the law fundamentally infringed basic rights.