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Jolovan Wham faces Public Order Act charges after posing for a photo with his poster in March.
Social worker and activist Jolovan Wham appeared in Singapore court Monday morning on charges of illegal assembly after standing alone outside a police station holding a sign with a hand-drawn smiley face in March.
Wham, who has had several clashes with authorities in the tightly controlled city-state, wore a white T-shirt adorned with a smiling face and a matching mask on her way to court.
“My guilt is obvious to all eyes,” he joked in a Twitter post.
The charges stem from an incident in March when Wham stood in front of a police station to show his support for young climate change activists who had been questioned by police about similar individual protests. Singapore has strict laws on public assembly, despite the freedoms being enshrined in its constitution, and strictly controls the media and freedom of speech.
If convicted, Wham faces a maximum fine of S $ 5,000 ($ 3,725).
My guilt is obvious for all to see. On the way to state courts! pic.twitter.com/MVOWPVfmlM
– Jolovan Wham (@jolovanwham) November 23, 2020
Under Singapore law, residents can participate in public assemblies without a permit only at ‘Speakers Corner’, part of a small public park in the city, and even a solo protest is prohibited without permission from the police.
In 2018, performance artist Seelan Palay spent two weeks in prison after one of his performances, during which he walked with a mirror outside the park to Singapore’s parliament building, was deemed an illegal procession.
Wham started a smileinsolidarity social media campaign after the charges were announced on Friday, asking others to post photos of themselves with emoticons to show their support.
Local media reported that the 40-year-old Wham was also charged under the Public Order Act for an incident that took place in December 2018 when he stood alone in front of state courts with a placard urging the removal of the criminal defamation charges against website editor Terry Xu writer Daniel De Costa over an article on alleged corruption. The charge also carries a maximum fine of 5,000 Singapore dollars ($ 3,725).
Wham is expected to return to court on November 27.
In August, Wham spent two weeks in jail after being convicted of illegal assembly under the Public Order Act after organizing a private forum in 2016 in which Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong spoke on Skype. . Wham went to jail in lieu of paying the fine of 2,000 Singapore dollars ($ 1,490).
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