7 October 2026
We, the undersigned
organizations, are deeply concerned by the continuing
criminalization of human rights defenders (HRDs), activists,
lawyers and journalists in Singapore for exercising their
internationally protected rights to freedom of expression
and peaceful assembly. The recent wave of charges against
participants in peaceful assemblies reflects a broader
pattern of restrictions on civic space and criminalization
of human rights work, deepening the chilling effect on
individuals and groups challenging or advocating for reform
of government policies, including those related to the
abolition of the death penalty in Singapore and peaceful
expressions of solidarity with Palestinians.
On 28
September 2026, six
individuals – Annamalai Kokila Parvathi, Ten Leu Jiun
Jeanne-Marie, Howe Wen Khong Rocky, Kirsten Han, Lim Kay Siu
and Neo Swee Lin Winifred – were charged under the Public
Order Act in the State Court for their alleged involvement
in peaceful assemblies and vigils. Five were charged for a
gathering outside the State Courts on 3 February 2025. Ten
Leu Jiun Jeanne-Marie was charged in relation to two
candlelight vigils held outside Changi Prison in November
2024, while Howe Wen Khong Rocky faces additional charges
relating to three vigils held between November 2024 and
January 2025. Some of those charged were required to remove
or cover their T-shirts with slogans or symbols in order to
access the courtroom. Those charged were also required to
surrender their passports, were placed in shackles, and
spent time in police custody before being released on
bail.
Advertisement – scroll to continue reading
The prosecutions follow charges brought earlier
in September against other activists, including Jolovan
Wham, Elijah Tay and S
Suraendher Kumarr, also in connection with peaceful
actions and vigils. Jolovan Wham and Elijah Tay alone face a
total of 19 charges. Overall, 14 human rights defenders and
activists have been charged over recent weeks, while others
have received ‘conditional warnings’, indicating an
escalating pattern of criminalization and reprisals against
people exercising their fundamental rights and carrying out
their human rights work.
We find the use of the Public
Order Act and other criminal laws to restrict the exercise
of the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly
to be deeply concerning. The authorities have continued to
rely on the Public Order Act to prosecute individuals for
organizing or participating in peaceful assemblies,
including actions against the death penalty and expressions
of solidarity with Palestine. The authorities have stated
that the Public Order Act applies regardless of the cause
being advocated and that permits will not be granted for
assemblies advocating “political causes of other
countries” or “foreign entities” where they consider
there “may be implications for public order or social
harmony”. The repeated use of the Act against peaceful
human rights advocacy is incompatible with the rights to
freedom of expression and peaceful assembly and therefore
should be subjected to strict scrutiny under applicable
international standards. This includes the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which
Singapore has yet to be a state party.
The wave of
criminalization against activists should be viewed in the
context of Singapore’s fourth Universal Periodic Review
(UPR). During the United Nations (UN) review of its human
rights record in May 2026, Singapore received numerous
recommendations concerning freedom of expression, peaceful
assembly, civic space and the protection of human rights
defenders, as well as the death penalty. The UN Human Rights
Council adopted the outcome of the review on 28 September
2026. Although Singapore supported a majority of the 342
recommendations it received, it failed to support most of
the recommendations related to civic space, including calls
to amend or repeal restrictive laws, ensuring an enabling
environment for civil society and human rights defenders,
and strengthening protections for the rights to freedom of
expression, peaceful assembly and association. It also
noted, effectively rejecting, all recommendations related to
the abolition of the death penalty.
The current
prosecutions underscore the need for Singapore to
immediately change course and implement in full the UPR
recommendations. Singapore should ensure that its laws,
policies and practices relating to freedom of expression,
peaceful assembly and the protection of human rights
defenders are consistent with international human rights
law. Its UPR review should translate into tangible
improvements in the operating environment for activists,
human rights defenders, civil society organizations, lawyers
and journalists, including those working on
politically-sensitive issues such as the death
penalty.
Human rights advocacy is an essential
component of civic participation and public accountability.
Lawyers, journalists, activists and human rights defenders
must be able to scrutinise and challenge government laws and
policies, and carry out their work without fear of criminal
prosecution or other reprisals.
Therefore, we, the
undersigned organizations, call on the Government of
Singapore to:
- Drop the charges against
individuals solely for their peaceful participation in
assemblies and vigils, including Annamalai Kokila Parvathi,
Ten Leu Jiun Jeanne-Marie, Howe Wen Khong Rocky, Kirsten
Han, Lim Kay Siu, Neo Swee Lin Winifred, Jolovan Wham,
Elijah Tay, S Suraendher Kumarr and others facing arbitrary
prosecution; - End the use of criminal and
administrative measures to intimidate or penalize human
rights defenders, activists, lawyers and journalists for
exercising their rights to freedom of expression and to
peaceful assembly; - Review and amend the Public Order
Act and Penal Code to ensure that restrictions on peaceful
assembly comply with international human rights standards,
including the requirements of legality, necessity and
proportionality; - Ensure that police investigations,
questioning and prosecutions are not used as reprisals
against individuals exercising their rights to freedom of
expression and peaceful assembly; - Implement relevant
recommendations from Singapore’s fourth UPR, including those
concerning civic space, freedom of expression and peaceful
assembly, and the protection of human rights defenders, with
meaningful civil-society participation in implementation and
follow-up; and - Ratify the International Covenant on
Civil and Political Rights and take concrete steps to align
national laws and practices more closely with its
protections for freedom of expression, peaceful assembly,
and
association.
Signatory:
- Amnesty
International - Anti-Death Penalty
Asia Network (ADPAN) - Asian Forum
for Human Rights and Development
(FORUM-ASIA) - Capital Punishment
Justice Project - CIVICUS: World
Alliance for Citizen
Participation - Frontline
Defenders - Human Rights
Watch - Lembaga Bantuan Hukum
Masyarakat - Taiwan Alliance to End
the Death
Penalty
