Amos Yee has been the target of physical violence and in fact was assaulted in April while on his way to a pre-trial conference at the State Court.
The person who struck the teenager on the face, while reporters with camera crew stood by, was sentenced to three weeks’ jail.
Amos Yee, who has been the centre of much controversy for a video he released on Youtubeon the day of the funeral of Singapore’s former prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew, has also been threatened online with all sorts of harm, including rape.
A grassroots leader was also issued a “stern warning” by the police in June for threats made against the teenager.
Mr Jason Tan Kok Wee, referring to Amos Yee, had posted online that he “would cut his dick and put in his mouth”.
But such threats of violence do not seem to have ceased.
On Friday, some Taiwanese protesters held a protest in support of Amos Yee, calling on the Singapore Government to release the teenager.
The Online Citizen (TOC) reported this on its Facebook page.
Soon, the report attracted comments and shares.
One of those who shared TOC’s report was a certain “Nigel Kee”.
Mr Kee posted [emphasis added]:
“I think I have never commented on this moron, for he never deserved any attention. But now that I’m speaking. I really hope and I will pay, for him to get raped in prison.”
He ended his post with the hashtag: #tearhimup .
Under Singapore’s laws it is illegal to issued such threats.
Under the Penal Code, criminal intimidation is described as:
“Whoever threatens another with any injury to his person, reputation or property, or to the person or reputation of any one in whom that person is interested, with intent to cause alarm to that person, or to cause that person to do any act which he is not legally bound to do, or to omit to do any act which that person is legally entitled to do, as the means of avoiding the execution of such threat, commits criminal intimidation.”
And “Intentional insult with intent to provoke a breach of the peace” is explained as:
“Whoever intentionally insults, and thereby gives provocation to any person, intending or knowing it to be likely that such provocation will cause him to break the public peace, or to commit any other offence, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to 2 years, or with fine, or with both.”
