Latest news with #AnnamalaiKokilaParvathi
Malay Mail
3 days ago
- Politics
- Malay Mail
Three women on trial in Singapore over pro-Palestine procession near Istana
SINGAPORE, July 2 — Three women are on trial in the city-state after denying charges of organising a procession without a police permit around the Istana. Mossammad Sobikun Nahar, 26; Siti Amirah Mohamed Asrori, 30; and Annamalai Kokila Parvathi, 36, each face one charge under the Public Order Act for allegedly leading a procession in a prohibited area on 2 February 2024. Prosecutors said the event aimed to publicise support for Palestine and took place along the perimeter of the Istana, The Straits Times reported. Investigation Officer Muhammad Faizal testified that he was assigned to investigate the event, named Letters for Palestine. He presented CCTV footage showing around 70 people gathering at Plaza Singapura before walking towards the Istana with umbrellas painted with watermelon graphics. The footage showed Sobikun leading the group along Orchard Road, Buyong Road and Cavenagh Road to the Istana's rear gate. At the rear gate, the group posed for photographs while displaying the watermelon umbrellas, with Amirah seen fanning out a stack of letters. During cross-examination, defence lawyer Surian Sidambaram argued that the group believed they were acting lawfully based on similar past events. The judge rejected the defence's attempt to cite those events as precedent, saying a previous lack of enforcement did not justify breaking the law.
Straits Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Trial opens for 3 women who allegedly organised procession outside Istana
(From left) Siti Amirah Binte Mohamed Asrori, Annamalai Kokila Parvathi and Mossammad Sobikun Nahar arriving in the State Courts on Jul 1. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG SINGAPORE – Three women have gone on trial after they pleaded not guilty to organising a procession around the Istana without a permit. Mossammad Sobikun Nahar, 26, Siti Amirah Mohamed Asrori, 30, and Annamalai Kokila Parvathi, 36, appeared in the State Courts for the first day of their joint trial on July 1. The women each face one charge of organising a procession along the perimeter of the Istana, which is a prohibited area, under the Public Order Act. They are accused of organising the procession on Feb 2, 2024 to publicise the cause of solidarity with Palestine. Investigation Officer Muhammad Faizal, testifying as the first prosecution witness, said he was tasked to investigate an event called 'Letters for Palestine' at the Istana. He took the court through closed circuit television (CCTV) footage that showed a group of around 70 people had gathered outside Plaza Singapura before walking to the Istana while holding open umbrellas painted with a watermelon graphic. The footage showed that Sobikun led the group along Orchard Road, Buyong Road and Cavenagh Road as they made their way to the rear entrance of the Istana. When the group reached the rear entrance of the Istana, they formed up, with a number of them holding up watermelon umbrellas and posing for photos, he said. He also pointed to how Amirah was seen holding a stack of letters and fanning them out while taking photos. During the cross-examination, defence lawyer Surian Sidambaram asked IO Faizal if this event, Letters for Palestine, involved people handing letters to the Prime Minister's Office. The IO said yes. Mr Surian asked if there were any signs along the route to the Istana warning that a group of people walking over to hand-deliver letters to the Prime Minister's Office constituted an offence. The IO replied no. Mr Surian then asked IO Faizal if he was aware that on Jan 11, 2024, three weeks before the alleged procession in this current case, a group of 17 people had hand-delivered letters to the Prime Minister's Office using the same route. The IO replied that he was made aware of that case through the course of his investigations, but could not speak on the cause the 17 people were showing support for. Mr Surian said: 'One of my clients' defences is that they were not aware that using that route to hand-deliver letters to the Prime Minister's Office was an offence. 'Given that there had been a similar event three weeks prior for the same cause and no action was taken, that led them to believe that it was legal and that they were not organising a procession in a prohibited area.' The defence lawyer then made an application to enter into evidence five past cases where people hand-delivered letters for various causes, but no action was said to have been taken. Deputy Public Prosecutor Sunil Nair objected to this, noting that there were insufficient details of the past incidents to make accurate comparisons. 'There could be various reasons why no action was taken, but this cannot be a reason for an offender to contravene the law,' said the prosecutor. In reply, Mr Surian said: 'My clients saw the past events and nothing happened, so they thought they had the rights to organise their own event.' After hearing both sides, District Judge John Ng rejected the defence's application to enter evidence of the past cases for the current trial. Addressing Mr Surian, Judge Ng said: 'If there's a boy throwing a stone at a shopping centre window, a second boy would not be able to say that the first boy was not caught and not charged, so 'I could do it too'. That is not a valid defence.' The trial continues. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
CNA
3 days ago
- Politics
- CNA
Trial begins for 3 women charged over pro-Palestinian 'procession' to Istana
SINGAPORE: The trial of three woman accused of organising a pro-Palestinian procession to the Istana last year began on Tuesday (Jul 1), with the defence flagging its intention to rely on similar events that had taken place previously without prosecution. Siti Amirah Mohamed Asrori, 30, and Mossammad Sobikun Nahar, 26, and Annamalai Kokila Parvathi, 36, are each accused of organising a procession that took place between 2pm and 3pm on Feb 2, 2024 along the perimeter of the Istana, a prohibited area. All three Singaporeans appeared in a joint trial to contest one charge each under the Public Order Act. Their lawyer Uthayasurian Sidambaram told the court that his clients were not aware that using the route to hand deliver letters to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) - located in the Istana - was prohibited. This was based on a similar event of a smaller scale that had occurred weeks before his clients' alleged offences without prosecution, he said. INVESTIGATION OFFICER TESTIFIES On Feb 2, 2024, a group consisting of about 70 people - according to information earlier provided by the police - assembled outside Plaza Singapura before making their way to the Istana. Their intention, according to the defence, was to deliver letters on the Palestinian cause to the PMO, which had a mail drop-off point located at the rear gate of the Istana. Without any opening remarks, the prosecution opened its case before District Judge John Ng by calling its first witness, investigation officer Muhammad Faizal. The prosecution then played four closed-circuit television camera (CCTV) clips of footage capturing the movement of the group as it proceeded to the Istana. The first recording showed the group gathering outside the main entrance of Plaza Singapura from 1.51pm on Feb 2, 2024. The three women were seen interacting with members of the group, with Mossamad and another woman seen taking out umbrellas with watermelon designs from a box. The watermelon colours are the same as those on the Palestinian flag, and the fruit has become a symbol of Palestinian solidarity. Members of the group are then seen walking with the umbrellas open. Questioned by the prosecution, Mr Faizal said that the area outside Plaza Singapura where the group gathered was not part of the prohibited zone. However he noted that other areas immediately outside the Istana where the group was seen moving along their route were prohibited areas. These included paths and grass verges along Buyong Road, Cavenagh Road, and the space outside the main gate of the Istana, along Orchard Road. DEFENCE ARGUES ABOUT PREVIOUS INCIDENTS Part of the defence will hinge on previous alleged instances of people delivering letters to the Istana, Mr Uthayasurian told the court. During his cross-examination of Mr Faizal, the defence lawyer sought to admit evidence related to five such incidents. He highlighted one of the incidents, on Jan 11, 2024, where he said a group of 17 had hand-delivered letters also relating to the Palestinian cause to the PMO. No action had been taken against them, he said. Based on this event, his clients believed that delivering letters in a group was legal, Mr Uthayasurian said. The prosecution, represented by Deputy Public Prosecutor Sunil Nair, objected to the evidence being admitted. Mr Nair said there was insufficient evidence of these past incidents to make meaningful comparisons. He added that knowledge of a previous offence where action was not taken could not be a defence for committing a crime. Taking the prosecution's point, Judge Ng rejected the defence's application to admit the evidence. In his cross examination of Mr Faizal, Mr Uthayasurian also asked the police officer if there were alternative routes to deliver letters to the rear gate of the Istana without using the prohibited zone. Mr Faizal replied no. Mr Uthayasurian then asked how Mr Faizal had come to the conclusion that the group constituted a procession. He replied that the group was proceeding with a cause and had common elements that were visible to the public, such as the watermelon umbrellas. Asked if the group had displayed placards or had shouted slogans, Mr Faizal said no. The defence then put it to Mr Faizal that all the individuals walking on the route had a letter to hand deliver to the PMO. IO Faizal agreed. Mr Uthayasurian asked him if anyone involved in the group had been given a warning that the event could not go on without a permit, and Mr Faizal responded that no application or permit had been applied for. The trial will resume on Wednesday with the prosecution expected to call more witnesses. A person convicted of organising a procession that is prohibited can be jailed for up to six months, or fined up to S$10,000 (US$7,900), or both.
CNA
22-04-2025
- Politics
- CNA
SDP files court application to appeal against POFMA order for statements about Istana procession
SDP's statements were made regarding a case where three women – Annamalai Kokila Parvathi, Siti Amirah Mohamed Asrori and Mossammad Sobikun Nahar – had allegedly organised a march on Feb 2, 2024, in support of the Palestinian cause. The women were charged on Jun 27 last year with public order offences. Two days later, SDP was issued a correction order for Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok posts it made on Jun 27 and Jun 28 about the charges against the women. According to government website Factually, the posts contained two false statements: that the three women were prosecuted for organising support for the Palestinian people; and that the government, and in particular a minister, prosecuted the three women because they had expressed views that the government did not agree with. According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, SDP complied with the correction order on Jun 29. However, on Apr 7, the party submitted an application to vary the correction order, explaining in an accompanying statement that this was to raise issues 'ahead of the General Election'. This application was rejected by Mr Shanmugam after he found no merit in it.
