SINGAPORE: The High Court on Thursday (Apr 30) allowed an appeal by the prosecution and reversed the acquittal of three women over the organisation of a pro-Palestinian procession to the Istana.
Mossammad Sobikun Nahar, 26, Siti Amirah Mohamed Asrori, 31, and Annamalai Kokila Parvathi, 37, were fined S$3,000 (US$2,340) each.
Justice See Kee Oon found that the judge in their trial had erred in law by failing to apply a legal test correctly. He found that the trio ought reasonably to have made the appropriate enquiries which would have let them come to know of the relevant prohibition order.
The women were convicted of one charge each under the Public Order Act of organising a procession publicising the cause of solidarity with the Palestinian people between 2pm and 3pm on Feb 2, 2024, along the perimeter of the Istana.
They were part of a group of about 70 people who walked from the Plaza Singapura mall to the Istana's rear gate to hand-deliver letters on the Palestinian cause to the Prime Minister's Office, which is located in the Istana and had a mail drop-off point there.
The women had contested their charges in a district court and were acquitted by District Judge John Ng after a trial.
Judge Ng found that the women did not know that the route they took was prohibited under the Public Order Act.
However, lead prosecutor Hay Hung Chun on Friday argued that Judge Ng had conflated the concepts of actual knowledge and whether the women ought reasonably to have known that what they were doing was prohibited.
Defence lawyer Derek Wong urged the appeal court to dismiss the appeal entirely and uphold the district judge's findings.
During the proceedings, Justice See said he found it "disconcerting" and was "troubled" by the fact that the district judge's brief oral grounds were in fact longer than his final written grounds.
After the trio were convicted, the prosecution said they left the sentence to the court but said they were not pressing for a jail term.
Mr Wong sought a fine of S$3,000, which the judge imposed.
For organising a procession in a prohibited place under the Public Order Act, the women could have been jailed for up to six months, fined up to S$10,000, or both.
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Mossammad Sobikun Nahar, 26, Siti Amirah Mohamed Asrori, 31, and Annamalai Kokila Parvathi, 37, were fined S$3,000 (US$2,340) each.
Justice See Kee Oon found that the judge in their trial had erred in law by failing to apply a legal test correctly. He found that the trio ought reasonably to have made the appropriate enquiries which would have let them come to know of the relevant prohibition order.
The women were convicted of one charge each under the Public Order Act of organising a procession publicising the cause of solidarity with the Palestinian people between 2pm and 3pm on Feb 2, 2024, along the perimeter of the Istana.
They were part of a group of about 70 people who walked from the Plaza Singapura mall to the Istana's rear gate to hand-deliver letters on the Palestinian cause to the Prime Minister's Office, which is located in the Istana and had a mail drop-off point there.
The women had contested their charges in a district court and were acquitted by District Judge John Ng after a trial.
Judge Ng found that the women did not know that the route they took was prohibited under the Public Order Act.
However, lead prosecutor Hay Hung Chun on Friday argued that Judge Ng had conflated the concepts of actual knowledge and whether the women ought reasonably to have known that what they were doing was prohibited.
Defence lawyer Derek Wong urged the appeal court to dismiss the appeal entirely and uphold the district judge's findings.
During the proceedings, Justice See said he found it "disconcerting" and was "troubled" by the fact that the district judge's brief oral grounds were in fact longer than his final written grounds.
After the trio were convicted, the prosecution said they left the sentence to the court but said they were not pressing for a jail term.
Mr Wong sought a fine of S$3,000, which the judge imposed.
For organising a procession in a prohibited place under the Public Order Act, the women could have been jailed for up to six months, fined up to S$10,000, or both.
Continue reading...