Singapore sends blogger back to jail for criticizing religion

SINGAPORE (Reuters) — A Singapore court sentenced 17-year-old blogger Amos Yee to six weeks in jail yesterday for “wounding religious feelings,” his second prison term in a year, reigniting concerns about social controls and censorship in the conservative city-state.

Yee pleaded guilty to six charges of deliberately posting comments on the Internet in videos, blog posts and a picture that were critical of Christianity and Islam.

Judge Ong Hian Sun told the district court that Yee’s actions could “generate social unrest” and should not be condoned.

Yee, who was accompanied by his mother, described the sentence as “very fair.”

“I am very remorseful,” he told reporters outside the court, surrounded by a handful of supporters.

Yee was convicted on charges of harassment and insulting a religious group last year over comments he made about former premier Lee Kuan Yew and Christians soon after Lee’s death. His sentence then amounted to four weeks in jail he had already served.

His latest month-long trial was attended by officials from the United Nations Human Rights Council and the European Union, and was closely watched by rights groups.

“By prosecuting Amos Yee for his comments, no matter how outrageous they may have been, Singapore has unfortunately doubled down on a strategy that clearly violates freedom of expression,” Phil Robertson, deputy director of Human Right Watch’s Asia division, said in an e-mail.