Amos Yee

A subsequent 32 police reports resulted in Yee being arrested in Singapore and charged with the intent to wound the religious feelings of Christians, obscenity, and "threatening, abusive or insulting communication".

[45] The 2015 video resulted in several violent and threatening remarks being made against Yee online, including rape threats,[46] which led to calls by the Media Literacy Council and the Singapore Kindness Movement urging netizens to act responsibly and civilly, even when facing views they find offensive.

[51] Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, in an interview with Time, said that the "governing authorities are open to criticism", but that the "ability to exercise the freedom of expression comes with limits".

[8][36][40][45] BBC News reported that Yee was among several people who took to the internet to criticise Lee, including human rights activists and a poet, but he was the only one who has been arrested.

[45] The Guardian wrote that Yee's arrest "is a sign that the suppression of free speech during Lee's time in power has continued as a part of governance in Singapore.

[62][63] BBC News reported that "Singapore's hate speech laws are intended to ensure harmony between its multi-ethnic population and prevent a recurrence of the racial violence of its early years.

"[45][64] Yee was initially released on bail set at 20,000 Singapore dollars on 31 March 2015 on the condition that he not comment or distribute any content online while the case was still ongoing.

[80][82] Neo's attack on Yee was condemned by Minister for Law K. Shanmugam and human rights non-governmental organisation Maruah as ill-befitting of a civilised society.

The prosecution had argued that Yee's own comments showed his intention to "corrupt and deprave", but the defence countered that a person cannot be convicted ipse dixit.

[90] In court documents, Yee explained that his intention in critiquing both Christianity and Lee Kuan Yew was to open discussions on what he saw as "problems" with the faith and Singapore.

Yee also explained that while he knew that critiquing Christianity would do harm,[44] he saw this as "a natural consequence", and that "promoting ill-will is a prerogative for positive change to happen in society, especially if the issue at hand were initially controversial."

The Wall Street Journal wrote that Yee's trial showcases "Singapore's struggle to adapt its tradition of censorship to the realities of the digital era.

[96] "Singapore's actions to criminalize Yee's statements run contrary to international human rights standards and are a dangerous affront to freedom of expression."

Phil Robertson, HRW's deputy director for Asia, said that "Singapore's actions to criminalise Yee's statements run contrary to international human rights standards and are a dangerous affront to freedom of expression.

"[104][105] Phil Robertson, the Bangkok-based deputy director of Human Rights Watch's Asia division, said that "criminalising free expression by anyone who dares mock the powers that be is a tried and true practice of the Singapore government, and Amos Yee is the latest victim.

Yee later revealed that his allegations were part of a ploy to "manipulate the press to indulge in the thoroughly exhausting experience of waiting [...] fruitlessly for several hours", and that Law "didn't really molest" him though was "creepy".

"[134] Singaporean academic Cherian George, lawyer Peter Low, a former president of the Law Society of Singapore, as well as leading rights activists, academics, filmmakers and members of the arts community signed a letter saying that they were "troubled by the State's harsh reactions and that "sending Yee to the facility could deter young people in the city-state from expressing their views openly for fear of reprisals.

[138] He was addressed directly by the judge Kaur who said that she hopes that Yee would "rethink long and hard his decision not to continue with formal education," before acknowledging that there are few dropout success stories.

This was in response to Institute of Mental Health child psychiatrist Cai Yiming's report that Yee had admitted to his guilt, as well as the consequences of his actions.

[142] South East Asia and the Pacific Deputy Director Rupert Abbott defended Yee's right to freedom of expression,[141] adding that he wouldn't normally be convicted.

[143] Writer and gender equality activist Jolene Tan accused the prosecution of focusing on Amos' beliefs instead of considering any harm that was done by his words and actions.

[145] The protesters from more than 10 civil society groups under the banner of the Taiwan Association for Human Rights (TAHR) held placards and chanted "Free Amos Yee" for about half an hour.

Student activist group Scholarism, which took part in the protest, published a post asserting that the actions taken against Yee reflected the lack of freedom of speech within Singaporean society.

[134] The same day in Singapore, a rally organised by Community Action Network, a group of individuals advocating for freedom of expression in the country, was attended by an estimated 500 people.

Jolovan Wham, a social worker and civil activist, cited "an unprecedented crackdown on freedom of expression in Singapore" in the last few years.

[3] The presiding judge, Ong Hian Sun, said that Yee posted a photograph and two videos online, which were said to have insulting words and gestures intended to hurt the feelings of Christians and Muslims.

[11] On his reasons for seeking U.S. asylum, Reuters reported that although Yee was highly critical of the U.S. government abroad, he has expressed his desire to go to the country that best supports his political beliefs in anarchist communism, as well as ending private property and wage labor.

[12] Yee told reporters after his release that he can now criticise the Singaporean government without fear of imprisonment, and that while he planned to make more critical videos on the topic, he might also broaden his work to US politics since he is in the country.

[187] In October 2020, Yee was arrested in Illinois on state charges of solicitation and possession of child pornography, after he allegedly exchanged nude photos and "thousands" of messages with a 14-year-old girl from Texas while he was living in Chicago via WhatsApp from 1 February 2019 to 30 June 2019.

[193] On 8 November 2023, it was reported that Yee had been re-arrested for violating parole conditions,[194] and had been transferred to the maximum security Stateville Correctional Center in Crest Hill, Illinois.