Singaporean activist Jolovan Wham is on trial for organising a forum in 2016 which featured a live stream with Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong. The event, "Civil Disobedience and Social Movements", was held on 26 Nov 2016 without a police permit. Wham faces two charges of organising a public assembly without permit and for refusing to sign police statements.
In a Facebook post, Wham clarified that the two police officers who took the stand did not think that he threatened public order in any way. Regarding the other point, he stood by his view that it is his personal preference to only sign documents that he has copies of.
His stance sees the support of groups like the Community Action Network (CAN) and Demosisto, a group co-founded by Joshua Wong. Both groups released a joint statement expressing regret that he was being prosecuted for "his involvement in peaceful non-violent protests and related activities".
The trial is expected to last for three days. If convicted, he may be fined up to $5,000 and $2,500 for the respective charges.
