Jolovan Wham

Jolovan Wham is a Singaporean activist.[1][2][3] He has previously served as executive director of the Humanitarian Organization for Migration Economics.[4] The International Federation for Human Rights has stated that he has been the target of judicial harassment,[5] while Amnesty International have stated that "Singapore authorities have repeatedly sought to make an example of his activism to deter Singaporeans who might dare criticize the government."[6]

Biography

In March 2019, Singaporean authorities launched an investigation for illegal public assembly after Wham had posted a photo on social media of himself holding a sign calling for charges against the editors of The Online Citizen to be dropped.[7][8]

In March 2020, Wham was fined for contempt of court after having made a Facebook post the previous year criticising the lack of independence of Singapore's courts. After refusing to pay the fine, he was sentenced to a one-week jail term.[9]

In May 2020, Wham posted a letter of apology to Minister of Manpower Josephine Teo after she threatened to sue him over accusations of corruption.[10]

In November 2020, Wham was charged with illegal public assembly by Singaporean authorities after having held up a cardboard poster of a smiley-face outside of a police station in support of two climate activists who had been issued with summons for interrogation by police.[11][12][13]

When a 68-year-old Singaporean named Abdul Kahar Othman was sentenced to death and hanged at Changi Prison on 30 March 2022 for drug trafficking, Jolovan Wham organised and spoke at a 400-men protest at Hong Lim Park to show opposition to the Singapore government's use of the death penalty on 3 April 2022, and urged the government to abolish capital punishment, especially when another drug trafficker and Malaysian Nagaenthran K. Dharmalingam was at risk of imminent execution due to him losing his final appeal five days before.[14][15][16] Nagaenthran was hanged on 27 April 2022 at age 34.[17]

See also

References
  1. "Jolovan Wham". Front Line Defenders. September 12, 2017.
  2. "Singaporeans from all walks of life "smile in solidarity" with Jolovan Wham". May 26, 2020.
  3. "Singapore: Jolovan Wham charged for holding up a smiley face sign". BBC News. November 27, 2020.
  4. Auto, Hermes (November 29, 2017). "Civil rights activist Jolovan Wham charged with organising public assemblies without permit and vandalism | The Straits Times". www.straitstimes.com.
  5. "Singapore: Judicial harassment of Mr. Jolovan Wham". International Federation for Human Rights.
  6. "Singapore: Quash conviction and sentence of human rights defender Jolovan Wham". Amnesty International. February 15, 2021.
  7. Auto, Hermes (March 2, 2019). "Police investigating Jolovan Wham for protest outside State Courts without valid permit in Dec 2018 | The Straits Times". www.straitstimes.com.
  8. PJ, Irene Goh (August 23, 2021). "Jolovan Wham held photo-taking session, not public assembly, at State Courts building: Lawyer | The Straits Times". www.straitstimes.com.
  9. "Jolovan Wham starts 1-week prison sentence for criticising judiciary". April 2, 2020.
  10. Auto, Hermes (May 22, 2020). "Activist Jolovan Wham apologises to Josephine Teo for false corruption claims over Covid-19 care facilities; both men issued legal letters have apologised | The Straits Times". www.straitstimes.com.
  11. Beech, Hannah (November 23, 2020). "It Was Just Him and His Smiley Face. He's Charged With Illegal Assembly". The New York Times.
  12. "Singapore activist in court over one-man 'smiley face' protest". www.aljazeera.com.
  13. "Defiant Singapore activist to plead not guilty over 'smiley face' protest". South China Morning Post. November 23, 2020.
  14. "Singapore hangs drug trafficker in resumption of executions". The Washington Post. 30 March 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  15. "Death penalty protest at Speakers' Corner as it reopens 2 years after Covid-19 closure". The Straits Times. 3 April 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  16. "Singapore rejects Malaysian man Nagaenthran K. Dharmalingam's 'hopeless' appeal against execution". South China Morning Post. 29 March 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  17. "Singapore executes Malaysian on drugs charges after rejecting mental disability appeal". Today. 27 April 2022. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
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