Singapore Unbound issued a statement today strongly condemning the conviction of artist-activist Seelan Palay for holding a piece of art outside Parliament in 2017. The courts fined Mr Palay S$2,000 for his artistic demonstration which it ruled to have caused public disorder. He refused to pay, so consequently, he was sentenced to two weeks’ imprisonment.
In their statement, Singapore Unbounded lamented the egregious violation of citizenship right, noting that Mr Palay had not caused any public disorder and that he has the constitutional right to speak and assemble freely.
They also said that the government’s definition of just one person as an “assembly” is “clearly politically repressive and go against international standards for such rights”.
Singapore Unbound is calling for Seelan Palay’s conviction and sentence to be quashed and for a repeal or amendment of all laws and legal provisions that unjustifiably restrict the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly to bring Singapore’s laws into line with international human rights laws.
Founder and organiser of Singapore Unbound, Jee Leong Koh, also recreated Seelan Palay’s performance art – this time in front of the Singapore Permanent Mission to the United Nation’s building in New York as a peaceful protest of Mr Palay’s conviction by the Singapore courts.
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