The couple behind one of Singapore’s most popular alternative news websites, The Real Singapore (TRS), was charged in court yesterday (April 14) with seven counts of sedition. The prosecution alleges that the duo published content that has the “tendency to promote feelings of ill-will and hostility between different groups of people in Singapore, namely, between ethnic Indians in Singapore and Philippine nationals in Singapore”.
Under the Sedition Act, Singaporean Yang Kaiheng, 26, and Australian Ai Takagi, 22, can be fined up to S$5,000 (US$3,670) and jailed up to three years for each charge. If convicted on all seven charges, they may face up to $35,000 in fines and 21 years imprisonment.
Of the seven allegedly seditious articles, four were letters from the public and were not necessarily the views of the editors. Nonetheless, the Government is attempting to hold the two owners of TRS responsible for publishing the articles. The outcome of this case will also have wider implications for media establishments and journalists.
If a precedent is set where editors may face criminal charges for the views published on their website, even if they subsequently run a correction, this will have a chilling effect on free speech on all media outlets and journalists. Any media outlet which publishes letters from readers will have to make sure they do not fall foul of Singapore’s loosely interpreted Sedition Act and other vague laws. Journalists who quote their sources may subsequently also be held liable for the views of their sources. Full story...
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Under the Sedition Act, Singaporean Yang Kaiheng, 26, and Australian Ai Takagi, 22, can be fined up to S$5,000 (US$3,670) and jailed up to three years for each charge. If convicted on all seven charges, they may face up to $35,000 in fines and 21 years imprisonment.
Of the seven allegedly seditious articles, four were letters from the public and were not necessarily the views of the editors. Nonetheless, the Government is attempting to hold the two owners of TRS responsible for publishing the articles. The outcome of this case will also have wider implications for media establishments and journalists.
If a precedent is set where editors may face criminal charges for the views published on their website, even if they subsequently run a correction, this will have a chilling effect on free speech on all media outlets and journalists. Any media outlet which publishes letters from readers will have to make sure they do not fall foul of Singapore’s loosely interpreted Sedition Act and other vague laws. Journalists who quote their sources may subsequently also be held liable for the views of their sources. Full story...
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