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The Singaporean police confirmed on Monday that a day earlier for an obscenity-laced tirade posted on YouTube that celebrated the death of Lee Kuan Yew, the country’s founding father, and disparaged Christians.
The blogger, Amos Yee, 17, is due in court on Tuesday and could face more than three years in prison on charges of violating laws against offending the feelings of a religious group, harassment and sharing obscene material, .
The charges are said to relate to both his 8½-minute YouTube monologue, “Lee Kuan Yew Is Finally Dead!,” and an obscene image briefly posted on his WordPress blog and Facebook page.
Lee kuan Yew was not a great person, and I've made a video, explaining why. Enjoy!
— Amos Yee (@amosyee)
The video, which was reportedly before it was removed from , was one of more than a dozen comedic riffs he uploaded in recent months on subjects including , “,” , “” and “to pursue my ‘career’ as a 17-year-old boy ranting in front of a video camera.”
Teenage Blogger Criticizes Lee Kuan Yew
Teenage Blogger Criticizes Lee Kuan Yew
Excerpts from a YouTube video celebrating the death of Singapore’s founding prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew, uploaded by Amos Yee, a 17-year-old Singaporean blogger who was later arrested.
A column by Robert Mackey.
Copies of that prompted his arrest remain on YouTube, but excerpts give a sense of the young man’s blunt dissent from the cult of personality that grew up around Mr. Lee, and Mr. Yee’s parallel indictment of Jesus as “power-hungry and malicious.”
At the start of the monologue, Mr. Yee claims that “Lee Kuan Yew was a horrible person,” but everyone else in Singapore “is afraid that if they say something like that, they might get into trouble — which, give Lee Kuan Yew credit, that was primarily the impact of his ‘legacy.’ ” Mr. Yee says he is not afraid and dares Lee Hsien Loong — Singapore’s prime minister and Mr. Lee’s eldest son, who led the city-state in a week of national mourning after his father’s death on March 23 — “to sue me.”
Chia Boon Teck, a Singaporean lawyer who reportedly with the authorities, wrote last week in of the local Straits Times saying, “There is a limit to freedom of expression.”
The detention of the young dissident earned him some sympathy , but the arrest was cheered on social networks by more patriotic Singaporeans, including a fellow video blogger, Julian Tay, who accused Mr. Yee of being “a hater.”
After watching Amos yee's video and looking at the response, I don't think Singaporeans can handle freedom of speech.I'm sorry but it's true
— PrincessLuna♥ (@LAphrodite)
In the great nation of Singapore, if you feel offended by someone's online video, you can have police arrest him.
— Shufeng Tan (@shufengtan)
Last week: "Singapore is actually free with no restrictions! Don't believe the western media agenda!" Today: "Yay Amos Yee got arrested!"
— Sailesh Aswath (@sailesh88)
Pray that Amos yee get sued and banned from Singapore by LHL and be given 50 strokes of the cane in changi prison even though he's just 17
— DONALD (@Donaldngz)
"Shame on the Singapore govt for censorship!!!" Shame on YOU WESTERNERS FOR ALLOWING YOUR HATE CRIMES
— queen aileen (@OPALLAZULI)
— Julian Tay™ (@JulianTayTM)