Singapore court acquits women for pro-Palestinian march

A court in Singapore has acquitted three women who staged a march to the president’s office to show support for the Palestinian cause.

The women were prosecuted for organizing an illegal procession. But a judge ruled their actions did not fit the full charge.

One of the women told the BBC she thought the unexpected acquittal would “give a new sense of energy and hope” to activists in Singapore.

Public demonstrations are unusual in Singapore, which has very strict rules against protests and requires a police permit for any gathering promoting a cause. Authorities have also effectively banned public gatherings related to the Israel-Gaza war.

Any applications for permits for public meetings related to the Israel-Gaza war would be rejected because of the “real risk that such events could lead to public disorder” because war is a sensitive subject, officials said.

Singapore’s government says the rules on demonstrations are necessary to maintain peace and harmony in the small country. Critics say these rules stifle free speech and civil activism.

The latest case centers on an event organized in February 2024 by Mossammad community organizer Socie Nahar and content creator Siti Amirah Mohamed Asrori. They were assisted by community organizer kokila annamalai.

About 70 people turned up to take part in the walk from a shopping mall to the presidential office, known as the Istana.

Photos of the event posted online show participants carrying umbrellas painted to resemble watermelons, a symbol associated with the Palestinian cause.

Prosecutors later charged the three women with organizing a procession without a permit in a restricted area.

During the trial, the defense argued that the women did not know their route around the perimeter of the Istana was in a restricted area as they were traveling on public roads.

Although the judge ruled that the women did organize a procession, they also had “no idea that using that route would be illegal or prohibited.”

He noted that they were using public pavement and there were no signs indicating that it was a restricted area.

“It is clear from the evidence that the three tried their best not to break the law,” he said.

If convicted, the women could each be fined up to S$10,000 (£5,760; US$7,705) or jailed for up to six months, or both.

The trial attracted some attention in Singapore. Photos of the three women dressed in the colors of the Palestinian flag and keffiyeh scarves for their court appearances have gone viral online.

Ms Annamalai told the BBC the women had deliberately chosen their outfits to send a statement and “show our defiance and solidarity”.

With activists in the past convicted of holding illegal public meetings – even if only one person attends them – some expected the women to receive convictions.

Local media reported on Tuesday that there were “loud gasps” as the verdict was read in a courtroom packed with the women’s supporters.

Ms Annamalai said she was “completely prepared to be convicted” and that their acquittal “came as a surprise”.

“But it’s also hard to feel celebratory about it because we shouldn’t have been charged in the first place,” she added.

She said their acquittal “may provide this new sense of energy and hope” as there is a “long battle” ahead for the civil rights movement and supporters of Palestine in Singapore. “The community needed a win,” she said.

In a statement to the BBC, Singapore’s public prosecutor’s office said it would file an appeal.

Police have launched investigations into other offline and online events related to the Israel-Gaza war.

The latest was in January when a group of students from the local university organized a memorial event for Palestinian students in front of a building said to house a research center run by an Israeli university. Six people were questioned.

The Singapore government has consistently supported a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine and supports Palestinian membership in the United Nations.

In September, Singapore’s foreign minister said it would recognize a Palestinian state “when there is an effective government that accepts Israel’s right to exist and categorically renounces terrorism”.