Singapore Imposes Fines on Three Pro-Palestine Activists

A court in Singapore has imposed fines on three women who conducted a walking protest to show support for the Palestinian cause. The three women were charged last October for organising an illegal procession in 2024, as they led dozens of people to walk to the presidential office to support Palestinians amid the Israel war in Gaza.

The three women were initially sentenced to heavier fines in the lower court. However, the High Court overturned that decision on Thursday after the prosecution appealed, and imposed fines of S$3,000 each.

Public demonstrations are rare in Singapore, which imposes strict restrictions on protests, and authorities effectively ban public gatherings related to the Israel-Gaza war.

In February 2024, three activists – Mossammad Sobikun Nahar, Siti Amirah Mohamed Asrori, and Kokila Annamalai – led around 70 people on a walk from a shopping centre to the adjacent presidential complex. The aim was to deliver a letter to the prime minister urging him to cut ties with Israel.

Photos of the procession show participants holding umbrellas with a watermelon motif – a pattern widely used for pro-Palestine purposes. The three women were charged in June 2024 for organising a procession without permission in a prohibited area.

During the trial, the defence argued that the women were walking on public roads and were unaware that the route along the presidential complex was prohibited.