The trial of three activists from Singaporean activist group Letters for Palestine entered its sixth and final day, on July 8.
Camira Asrori, Mossammad Sobikun Nahar and Annamalai Kokila Parvathi are charged with organising a procession without a permit under the country鈥檚 Public Order Act.
The case centres around a procession on February 2 last year, when 70 people gathered outside Prime Minister Lawrence Wong鈥檚 office to deliver letters to him. Participants carried umbrellas decorated as watermelons in support of the Palestinian cause. Prosecutors argued they needed a permit for the event.
The court will reconvene on September 16 to hear closing arguments and clarifications, before a verdict is handed down. If found guilty, Camira, Kokila and Sobikun could face a maximum penalty of SGD10,000 (A$11,940) and/or 6-months imprisonment.
Dayana, who testified in support of the three activists, told the court why she joined the event, saying 鈥淚 believed it was the right thing to do while a genocide was unfolding on livestream.鈥
Another witness, visual artist Sophia, testified that 鈥渁fter witnessing four months of atrocities, I felt I had to do something physically 鈥 that鈥檚 why I signed up for the event 鈥 I felt like I needed to be physically there to see my letters being delivered鈥.
When Sobikun was asked about her motivations for organising the event, she told the court that 鈥渕any Singaporeans had emailed or mailed letters to their MPs and Ministers and had received no response鈥 and she felt it would be a good idea to deliver letters in person. She said that the International Court of Justice had just ruled that Israel鈥檚 actions in Gaza plausibly constituted genocide and it was urgent to ensure Singapore was not complicit. She noted that a previous letter delivery for Palestine had occurred in January that year.
Sobikun testified that in December 2021 and April 2023 she had taken part in letter deliveries calling for clemency for death row prisoners along the same route from Plaza Singapura to the Istana (PM鈥檚 office) without any legal trouble.
The trial was held amid the backdrop of Israel鈥檚 ongoing genocidal war against Palestinian people in Gaza. While Singapore鈥檚 neighbours, Malaysia and Indonesia, have been part of the recent Hague Group meeting, where more than 30 governments met to coordinate legal and diplomatic efforts to end Israel鈥檚 apartheid and genocide, the Singaporean government continues its support of Israel.
Students for Palestine posted on Instagram: 鈥淎midst all this, we remain painfully conscious that the genocide in Palestine worsens by the day, as the IDF [Israel Defence Forces] continues committing horrific war crimes with impunity ... We are proud to stand with a global movement of people who refuse to be silent in face of a genocide.鈥
[To find out more about the Students for Palestine Singapore鈥檚 campaign, visit .]