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Blogger Amos Yee granted asylum in the US

CHICAGO — A US immigration judge in Chicago on Friday (March 24, US time) granted asylum to a Singaporean blogger, saying he was persecuted for his political opinions in the Republic.

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CHICAGO — A US immigration judge in Chicago on Friday (March 24, US time) granted asylum to a Singaporean blogger, saying he was persecuted for his political opinions in the Republic.

Amos Yee, 18, who had been jailed twice in Singapore, qualifies as a political refugee, according to a 13-page opinion by the US immigration judge.

Yee is immediately eligible for release after having been held in US immigration detention since Dec 16, 2016, according to his attorney, Ms Sandra Grossman, who is based in Bethesda, Maryland.

Judge Samuel Cole ruled Yee’s prosecution, detention and maltreatment at the hands of the Singapore authorities "constitute(s) persecution on account of Amos’ political opinions”, and called him a "young political dissident”.

"The evidence presented at the hearing demonstrates Singapore's prosecution of Amos was a pretext to silence his political opinions critical of the Singapore government," Mr Cole wrote.

The US Department of Homeland Security had opposed Yee’s asylum application, claiming the Singapore government legitimately prosecuted Yee.

Ms Grossman said the judge's decision supported the right of individuals to criticise their government.

"The right to free speech is sacred, even when such speech is considered offensive," she said in an email. "The decision timely underscores the vital need for an independent judiciary in a functioning democracy."

Responding to media queries, the Singapore Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said that Yee had engaged in hate speech and it was "the prerogative of the US to take in such people who engage in hate speech".

"Yee had engaged in hate speech against Christians and Muslims...The US adopts a different standard, and allows such hate speech under the rubric of freedom of speech... Singapore takes a very different approach. Anyone who engages in hate speech or attempts to burn the Quran, Bible, or any religious text in Singapore, will be arrested and charged," the MHA said.

"It is the prerogative of the US to take in such people who engage in hate speech. There are many more such people, around the world, who deliberately engage in hate speech, and who may be prosecuted. Some of them, will no doubt take note of the US approach, and consider applying for asylum in the US," the ministry added.

Yee had been held by US authorities since arriving at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, seeking political asylum. He was initially detained in Illinois, but is now being held at the Dodge County Detention Facility in Juneau, Wisconsin, Ms Grossman said.

Yee has been jailed twice in the Republic for online comments. His trials, which have been closely watched by rights groups and the United Nations, have fuelled the debate in Singapore over censorship, the limits of free speech and political correctness.

In September of last year, Yee pleaded guilty to six charges of deliberately posting comments on the internet — in videos, blog posts and a picture — that were critical of Christianity and Islam. He was sentenced to six weeks in jail.

In 2015, Yee was convicted on charges of harassment and insulting a religious group over comments he made about Christians and Mr Lee Kuan Yew soon after Mr Lee's death. His sentence at the time amounted to four weeks in jail. WITH AGENCIES

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