Teenager behind offensive video to face 3 charges today

Posted on March 31, 2015 by Ariffin Sha

Category: This entry was posted in Current Affairs and tagged , .

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16-year-old Amos Yee faces 3 charges later today (31 March). He will be charged for wounding religious feelings, circulating obscene material and harassment.

The charges come after more than 20 police reports were lodged his 8-minute video and blog where he criticizes Christians and the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew. The video has since been made private.

Yee was arrested by the Police on Sunday.

Wounding Religious Feelings

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Section 298 of the Penal Code

 

Yee’s first charge was under Section 298 of the Penal Code for uttering words “with the deliberate intention of wounding the religious or racial feelings of any person”.

This is in relation to what his comments in the video with regards to Christians and Christianity.

For this charge, Yee faces a maximum punishment of up to three years imprisonment, or with fine, or with both.

Harassment

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Section 4 of the Harassment Act

Yee also faces a second charge of making threatening, abusive or insulting communication that is likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress under Section 4 of the Harassment Act.

It is still unclear which of the things that Amos said – either the disparaging remarks directed at Mr Lee Kuan Yew or at Christianity – constituted the Harrassment.

This offence is punishable by a fine of up to S$5,000.

Circulation of Obscene Material

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Section 292 of the Penal Code

 

 

Yee also will be charged under Section 292 of the Penal Code for circulating obscene material in his blog.

This offence carries a punishment of a fine, or jail of up to three months, or both.

In a statement, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Investigations & Intelligence) Tan Chye Hee said:

“Police take a stern view of acts that could threaten religious harmony in Singapore. Any person who uploads offensive content online with deliberate intention of wounding the religious or racial feelings of any person will be firmly dealt with in accordance with the law.”

This entry was posted in Current Affairs and tagged , .
  • dazzleworth

    There is a male Pinoy nurse who also made insensitive remarks about religion and threatened to harm Singaporeans. Was he charged? Oh, he claimed his facebook was hacked. SPF, what is your statement on this matter? More than 3 months and still ‘under investigation’?

    I’m all for justice and fairness, but when double standards are enforced, it makes me sick.

    • dazzeltan

      People voted for it.

      • dazzleworth

        Actually, people are to be blamed for it. Singaporeans, yes. How ironical they condone a foreigner insulting them, but when one of their kind does it, they call for his crucifixion.

        A few commentors noted: In Amos case there are 20 police reports lodged against him, whereas Ello’s case, hardly even one police report.

        So why are Sgreans the most bigoted people around?

        • Samson

          Worse, Ello is a fully grown Adult, with a good job (shows he has a sound mind). He knew what he was doing.

          Amos is a teenager with hormones raging and probably sidelined in our kind of ‘education’ system which also only ever wants to read and hear what they want to, or considered right to do so. Intelligent minds who go write ‘negatively’ eg supporting WP against Khaw, could be condemned.

  • AC

    Jesus, we crucified this boy for you.

    • Neotenic

      Keep your religious beliefs to yourself.

      • AC

        Neotenic, I was being tongue-in-cheek. I’m not actually supporting the persecution of this boy for blasphemy.

        I was pointing out the Christianity preaches forgiveness and turning the other cheek, but people are all up in arms to take down a teenager for saying nonsense.

        • Neotenic

          Okay my apologies for the overreaction.

    • Szabo

      Yes, ISIS too has crucified people, but only THEY are branded “terrorists”. But, somehow, you Christians are not terrorists when you do the crucifying.

      The double standards are not surprising, but for my part, I have come to the conclusion that Jesus himself was a terrorist.

      If you need further clarification on that, please see my comment following the article titled, “Amos Yee charged in court for 3 alleged offences”.

      • AC

        Szabo! I mean exactly what you just said. That there are double standards and the Christians who are persecuting Amos aren’t living what they preach.

        I was being sarcastic in my original comment – is it really not obvious?

        • Szabo

          Noted. But I shall leave my comment unamended.

          It is my objective now to take over from where Amos Yee left off.

          I want to offend Christians AS MUCH AS they have offended me.

          • AC

            Szabo, I understand your pain and I’m not shielding bad Christian behavior.

            But I don’t think taking an eye for an eye is the best way to combat racism/discrimination.

            My point in my comment was to reject crucifixion.

          • Szabo

            Taking an eye for an eye is a Christian teaching; you might want to look it up in that rag they call “The Bible”.

            My treatment of Christians happens to be one Christian teaching that I will delight in following. Even if what it can mean is an unending cycle of mutual hate, I am keen to stick to this very Christian teaching because it will put Christians in the very shoes that they force others into.

          • AC

            Szabo, an unending cycle of hate does nothing but show foolishness on both sides 🙁

            The “eye for an eye” old testament is outdated. The new testament preaches love, selflessness and forgiveness. Which is the point I wanted to make.

          • Szabo

            New Testament, Old Testament, whatever. It’s the same pile of theological garbage that emboldens terrorism.

            I am also curious to pursue your point about rejecting crucifixion. Christians today may mourn that terrorist, Jesus’ crucifixion, but do note that he himself never spoke out against crucifixion as a form of punishment, meaning he gave it his tacit approval. (Thus my confusion over your call to reject it.) Along with other forms of punishment, like stoning people to their deaths, that evolved in the region we call the Middle East, crucifixion was just another penalty for crimes committed there.

            ISIS has just revived it, for which they are being reviled as “terrorists”.

            This Good Friday, Christians should rejoice at that terrorist’s crucifixion, not mourn it.

            If Christians are against homosexuality, polytheism and idolatry because Jesus was, they should be consistent and also not reject crucifixion, and give ISIS further material support in their war against polytheism and idolatry.

          • AC

            Hi Szabo, I am strongly against terrorism – threatening the lives of others, innocents who have nothing to do with personal feuds. If you love someone, you don’t ever want them to be put at risk in a fight that began in another place, involving other people. I know discrimination tastes like poison, and at times I get so mad that people can’t see that they are bullies hiding behind their God. But I don’t want them to be arrested or tortured or killed or threatened. I want open discussion and peace. I want the terrorism and discrimination to stop, and it doesn’t work if we join in to add to the terrorism and discrimination. I denounce all persons and groups that would crucify or hurt another human being on the basis of their beliefs, race, gender or orientation.

            I’m not a Christian although I understand parts of the bible/Christian teachings. There are many things the bible fails to reject – many old traditional practices that were normal and social accepted thousands of years ago. And I believe that this is because the bible was written by humans who lived and died thousands of years ago. Any human living today cannot tell what freedom will mean a thousand years later.

            I also appeal to believers to practice religious consistency. I am against Christians who are against homosexuality but not divorce, corruption, idolatry and other sins described in the bible. But I do not mean that I want Christians to go nuts and hate everybody and everything. I mean that Christians are picking and choosing, and they’re not doing this in the name of love or selflessness. I mean that we should move in the opposite direction to a peace-oriented society comprised of diverse religions and backgrounds.

            My original comment was aimed at pointing out religious hypocrisy and the ridiculousness of the situation where people are hurting other people to protect a God who needs no protection.

  • Hello Howdy

    This obviously talented teenager has learnt a big lesson. He has lots of potential. Manage your rage and moderate your words and you should do well. What you have said is NOTHING new or special. We all know about it. But what you have is “youth” and “talent”. Use it well after this period of cooling off.

    • Neotenic

      Obviously talented? All he did was pre-learn some flashy vocabulary and pretend like he knew something. None of the arguments he made had cohesive logical steps and were leaps of judgement meant to enrage and encourage attention.

  • Robert Teh

    Why do you as a government continue to ignore people’s feedback in this manner. This boy is giving you feedback on your past mistakes. Go and study them and stop using laws and power to protect vested interests to stay in power.

    • Alan

      There are a hotline and email to our feedback unit which you can Google easily. If he had a computer to do all this shit he can simply send his grieved to the right dept!

      This idiot is stirring our racial harmony and jeering our country effort and you behave as such to condone him?

      Something is very wrong within your skull! Are you sure you put the right thing inside there?

    • Jason

      So, talking about someone’s religion is a feedback? The statistics he used isn’t even real, wake up idiot.

  • mingsuny

    Hi,
    This boy has to learn from his own mistakes. There are things not to be done during mourning period; words have to be selective on sensitive issues. Obviously he thought that the whole world evolves around him. Wish him all the best!

  • Mawson Rubenstein

    When more and more singaporeans feel aggrieved with the government continuing with what it does while totally igoring the feelings of its people, the day when the government gets toppled will only draw closer.

  • Neotenic

    Nothing is wrong about expressing ideas in public. It is always about action and consequence, this wouldn’t be such a big deal if people didn’t react offensively to controversial statements. That would negate all the consequences arising from free speech that obstructs it now, unrest, instability etc. Unfortunately this just isn’t happening.

    What is wrong is the quality of his argument. Horrible leaps of logic, questionable statements of non-substance. Quality free speech is okay, rubbish free speech comes from Amos.