SINGAPORE – The High Court on April 30 overturned the acquittal of three women who were accused of organising a procession outside the Istana to publicise the cause of solidarity with Palestine, and fined them $3,000 each.
Justice See Kee Oon allowed the prosecution’s appeal against the acquittal of Mossammad Sobikun Nahar, 26, Siti Amirah Mohamed Asrori, 30, and Annamalai Kokila Parvathi, 37, who had been accused of organising the procession on Feb 2, 2024.
He convicted the women, who each faced one charge of organising a procession along the perimeter of the Istana, which they “ought reasonably to know” was a prohibited area under the Public Order Act (POA).
Justice See agreed with the prosecution that the district judge who acquitted the three women had made an error of law by failing to apply the correct test for the phrase “ought reasonably to know”.
Justice See said the trio should have made appropriate inquiries about the legality of the event, given that they were aware of a police advisory in 2023 which stated that permits would not be issued for events or assemblies relating to the Israel-Hamas conflict.
But they did not do so, beyond checking among themselves and their friends, he said.
“Had appropriate inquiries been made as an honest and reasonable person in their circumstances would have done, this would have led them to come to know of the prohibition order in question,” Justice See said.
After the three were convicted, their lawyer, Mr Derek Wong, argued for a $3,000 fine. Deputy Public Prosecutor Hay Hung Chun made no submission on sentence.
The three women had contested the charges in a joint trial that began in July 2025.
