The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) will host a webinar titled “Civic space obstructed: Singapore’s fundamental freedoms through the lens of the UPR” on September 29, 2021, from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm (Bangkok/Jakarta Time) or from 1:30 pm to 3:00 pm (Geneva Time). This is a UN side event at HRC48 organized by FORUM-ASIA with CIVICUS, Human Rights Watch, ICJ, Access Now, and ThinkCentre.
Singapore’s government has continued to arbitrarily restrict the peoples’ rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association. Singapore was rated as 160th out of 180 countries in the 2021 World Press Freedom Index. Its Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong has been tagged as a press freedom ‘predator’, for targeting journalists and for controlling access to information.
The government has used various laws such as the Printing Presses Act, Protection Against Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA), Public Order Act, Penal Code, Administration of Justice (Protection) Act, criminal defamation and civil defamation lawsuits to unduly curtailing the freedom of expression of members of civil society, the media and anti-establishment critics.
For its third cycle of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), States called on Singapore to protect fundamental freedoms, ensure compliance of its domestic legislation with international human rights law and standards, and end the use of criminal and administrative lawsuits that curtail fundamental freedoms. The government has so far ‘noted’ calls by member states arguing that it needs to strike a balance between ‘freedom of speech’ and the ‘need to preserve a harmonious society‘.
Ahead of its formal UPR adoption scheduled for the 48th regular session of the Human Rights Council, the government has continued to restrict civic space. On 13 September 2021, the Ministry of Home Affairs proposed the non-human rights compliant Foreign Interference (Countermeasures) Bill (FICA Bill), which will allow the government to take down content, block user accounts and force platforms to disclose information on users.
Furthermore, the government has continued targeting independent, socio-political media outlets. On 14 September 2021, the class license of The Online Citizen was suspended, allegedly for failure to comply with regulations to declare all sources of funding. On 15 September 2021, the police issued a stern warning to New Naratif for reportedly running unauthorised paid election advertisements during the 2020 General Election campaign.
Join this virtual side-event as we discuss the situation in Singapore—particularly focussing on emerging threats and opportunities—and also providing recommendations for the Singaporean government, as well as the international community on how to ensure Singapore takes steps towards protecting civic space.
Panellists:
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Cornelius Hanung, Advocacy and Campaigns Officer for Asia, CIVICUS
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Linda Lakhdhir, Legal Advisor, Asia Division, Human Rights Watch
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Daron Tan, Legal Consultant, International Commission of Jurists
- Kirsten Han, We, The Citizens
Moderator: Joy Anne Icayan, Programme Officer, FORUM-ASIA
To register for the webinar, click here.