A court in Singapore has acquitted three women who organised a walk to the presidential office to show support for the Palestinian cause.
The women were prosecuted for organising an illegal procession. But a judge ruled their actions did not meet the full charge.
One of the women told the BBC she felt that the unexpected acquittal would “give a new sense of energy and hope” to activists in Singapore.
Public demonstrations are uncommon in Singapore, which has very strict rules against protests and requires a police permit for any gathering promoting a cause. Authorities have also effectively banned public gatherings related to the Israel-Gaza war.
Any permit applications for public assemblies related to the Israel-Gaza war would be turned down because of the “real risk that such events could give rise to public disorder”, as the war was a sensitive topic, authorities have said.
Singapore’s government has argued that rules on demonstrations are necessary to maintain peace and harmony in the tiny country. Critics say that these rules stifle freedom of expression and civil activism.
The latest case centred on an event organised in February 2024 by community organiser Mossammad Sobikun Nahar and content creator Siti Amirah Mohamed Asrori. They were assisted by community organiser Kokila Annamalai.
About 70 people showed up to take part in the walk from a shopping mall to the presidential office, known as the Istana.
Pictures of the event posted online showed the participants carrying umbrellas painted to look like watermelons, a symbol associated with the Palestinian cause.
Prosecutors later charged the three women for organising a procession without a permit in a prohibited area.
During their trial, the defence argued that the women had not known that their route on the perimeter of the Istana was in a prohibited area as they had travelled along public roads.
While the judge ruled that the women had indeed organised a procession, they also would “not have any inkling that using that route would be illegal or prohibited”.
He noted they had used a public pavement and there were no signs indicating it was a prohibited area.
“It is clear from the evidence that the three of them were trying their level best not to run afoul of the law,” he said.
If they had been convicted, each of the women could have been fined up to S$10,000 (£5,760; US$7,705), or jailed for up to six months, or received both penalties.
The trial drew some attention in Singapore. Pictures of the three women dressed in clothing in the colours of the Palestinian flag and keffiyeh scarves for their court appearances went viral online.
Ms Annamalai told the BBC that the women deliberately chose their outfits to send a statement and “show our defiance and solidarity”.
With activists in the past convicted for holding unlawful public assemblies – even if they were only attended by one person – some had expected the women to receive convictions.
Local media reports on Tuesday said there were “loud gasps” when the verdict was read out in the courtroom packed with the women’s supporters.
Ms Annamalai said she had been “fully prepared to be convicted” and that their acquittal “came as a surprise”.
“But it is also difficult to feel celebratory about it because we shouldn’t have been charged in first place,” she added.
She said their acquittal “can provide that new sense of energy and hope” as there was a “long fight ahead” for the civil rights movement and supporters of Palestine in Singapore. “The community needed a win,” she said.
In a statement to the BBC, Singapore’s prosecutorial office said it would file an appeal.
Police have launched investigations into other offline and online events related to the Israel-Gaza war.
The latest was in January when a group of local university students organised a memorial event for Palestinian students in front of a building said to house a research centre operated by an Israeli university. Six people have been questioned.
The Singapore government has consistently supported the two-state solution for Israel and Palestine, and has supported Palestine’s membership in the United Nations.
In September, Singapore’s foreign minister said they would recognise a Palestinian state “when it has an effective government that accepts Israel’s right to exist and categorically renounces terrorism”.
