Singapore — Activist Jolovan Wham began on Tuesday (March 31) to serve a one-week jail sentence for criticising the judiciary. He said he had chosen to go to jail rather than pay a $5,000 fine.
On April 29, 2019, almost a year to the day that Wham put up a Facebook post saying that Singapore’s courts were not as independent as Malaysia’s when it came to cases that had political implications, he was fined S$5,000 for contempt of court.
Just before he went to jail, Wham took to his Facebook and Twitter pages, posting photos of a send-off dinner on Monday and breakfast on Tuesday, and thanking those who had stood by and supported him.
https://twitter.com/jolovanwham/status/1244814855653093381
https://www.facebook.com/jolovan.wham/posts/10158304337969810
Wham, in a long message to fellow activists, said: “Those of us who can risk it, should. Those who can’t, should show their support, because solidarity is the first step to change.”
https://twitter.com/jolovanwham/status/1244815460857569280
Here are some of the messages in the comments section of Wham’s post.
In a separate case, Wham was convicted of organising a public assembly without a permit and refusing to sign a police statement in 2016. He appealed against it last year but the appeal was dismissed by the High Court. /TISG
Lee Hsien Yang said he doesn’t need to be repaid for contribution towards court appeal: Jolovan Wham