Contempt proceedings for scandalizing the judiciary were brought against cartoonist Leslie Chew in 2013 for satirical cartoons about events in the fictional country of “Demon-cratic Singapore.” The proceedings were only terminated when he deleted the cartoons.
Author Alan Shadrake was sentenced to six weeks in prison in 2011 for “scandalizing the judiciary” in his book about the application of the death penalty in Singapore. Singapore’s contempt laws include the archaic form of contempt known as “scandalizing the judiciary,” which is frequently used to penalize those who speak critically of the courts or allege they are somehow under government control.
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Laws that impose criminal penalties for peaceful expression are of particular concern because of their broader chilling effect on free speech. The laws most frequently used to prosecute peaceful expression in Singapore are contempt, sedition, and the Public Order Act, although the government has also resorted to laws against public nuisance, “wounding religious feelings,” and display of flags, among others, to silence dissent. And the courts have not provided a significant counterweight to executive and legislative branch overreach. The government now uses a combination of criminal laws, oppressive regulatory restrictions, access to funding, and civil lawsuits to control and limit critical speech and peaceful protests. The government has also enacted new regulations to control online media. Suits against and restrictions on foreign media that report critically on the country have featured regularly since the 1970s and restrictions on public gatherings have been in place since at least 1973.Īlthough there has been some relaxation in the rules on public assemblies, they remain extraordinarily strict, and restrictions on participation by foreigners have only increased over time.
Leaders of the ruling Peoples’ Action Party (PAP), which has been in power for more than 50 years, have a history of bankrupting opposition politicians through civil defamation suits and jailing them for public protests. The suppression of speech and assembly is not a new phenomenon in Singapore. Peaceful public demonstrations and other assemblies are severely limited, and failure to comply with detailed restrictions on what can be said and who can participate in public gatherings frequently results in police investigations and the threat of criminal charges. Those who criticize the government or the judiciary, or publicly discuss race and religion, frequently find themselves facing criminal investigations and charges, or civil defamation suits and crippling damages. Beneath the slick surface of gleaming high-rises, however, it is a repressive place, where the government severely restricts what can be said, published, performed, read, or watched.
Singapore promotes itself as a bustling, modern city-state and a great place to do business. Alan Shadrake, author, London, November 2015 Leslie Chew, cartoonist, Singapore, October 2015 In Singapore, even if it is true you aren’t supposed to say it. Don’t speak up against the government or the government will “fix” you. Summary In Singapore, there is this culture of fear.
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