INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
An ongoing case in Singapore is testing the legal boundaries of virtual conferences
A court in the Southeast Asian city-state this week convicted human rights activist Jolovan Wham of organizing a public assembly via Skype
without a permit and refusing to sign his statement when ordered by the police.
Whamwill be sentenced on January 23 and faces a fine of up
to S$5,000 or a jail term of up to three years
Thejudge in charge of the case,however, has not provided grounds of his decision, Wham wrote on Twitter.
I've been found guilty 'beyond
But the grounds of decision are not available yet
The judge also did not explain his decision in court
https://t.co/1DjXMUV0tN
— Jolovan Wham (@jolovanwham) January 3, 2019
Wham, 39, is a social worker at Community Action Network Singapore
consisting of a group of activists, social workers and journalists advocating civil and political rights
He previously served as executive director of migrant worker advocacy group Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics.
On November
26, 2016, Wham organized an indoor forum called &Civil Disobedience and Social Movements& at a small event space inside a shopping mall in
The event featured prominent Hong Kong student activist Joshua Wong who addressed the audience remotely via a Skype video call.
The
event&sFacebook Page indicates that 355 people were interested and 121 went
The Skype discussion, which lastedaround two hours, was also live streamed on Facebook by The Online Citizen SG, a social media platform
focused on political activism, and garnered 5,700 views.
Despite being advised by the police prior to the event to obtain a permit, Wham
proceeded without said consent, according to a statement by the Singapore Police Force
Wham faced similar charges of organizing public assemblies without police permits and refusing to sign statements under the Penal Code.
In
Singapore, it is a criminal offence under the Public Order Act to organize or participate in a public assembly without a police permit.The
Police described Wham act as &recalcitrant& in regard to organizing and participating in illegal public assemblies.
Commenting on the charge
against Wham, a joint statement from Joshua Wong and members of CAN Singapore argued that the event was &closed-door&.
&Skype conversations
that take place within the confines of a private space are private matters that should logically, not require permits before they can be
carried out,& raged the statement
&Wham discussion with Wong ended peacefully and would not have drawn any further attention if authorities hadn&t decided to act.&
&It was a
discussion about civil disobedience and social movements,& Wham pointed out in another Twitter post
&The law says that any event which is open to the public, and is &cause related&, requires a permit when a foreigner speaks
What is considered &cause related& isn&t clear.&
