Alan Shadrake | The Guardian

Singapore teenager charged over critical Lee Kuan Yew video

Laura Abernethy and Associated Press — Tue, 31 Mar 2015 07:50:44 GMT

Amos Yee Pang Sang, 16, could face up to three years in prison over footage calling city state’s first minister and Jesus Christ ‘malicious’

A Singaporean teenager faces up to three years in prison for criticising the nation’s late founder, Lee Kuan Yew, and Christianity in an online video.

At a court in Singapore on Tuesday, Yee was charged with three offences – two of insulting Christianity and the late statesman, and another of allegedly transmitting online an “obscene representation”, according to court documents.

Author loses appeal against Singapore conviction

Associated Press — Fri, 27 May 2011 07:00:43 GMT

British author Alan Shadrake to start six-week jail term over claims in his book about Singapore's use of death penalty

The British author Alan Shadrake has lost an appeal against his contempt of court conviction and will begin a jail sentence in Singapore next week.

Shadrake, 76, refused to apologise for his book, Once a Jolly Hangman: Singapore Justice in the Dock, which is critical of the country's use of the death penalty for crimes such as drug trafficking.

Letters: Singapore and press freedom

Guardian Staff — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 00:05:07 GMT

Your editorial endorsed Mr Alan Shadrake's book as "legitimate and ... largely accurate" (Press freedom: The Singpore grip, 17 November). Mr Shadrake had alleged, without any basis, that the Singapore courts conspired with state agencies to suppress material evidence. Such a statement would be considered to be in contempt of court in many common law jurisdictions, including England, Australia, Ireland, Canada and Hong Kong.

This was why Mr Shadrake was charged for contempt of court. The court found that he had made grave allegations against the independence and integrity of the Singapore judiciary, without rational basis and with reckless disregard as to their truth or falsehood. You quoted Mr Shadrake's statements confirming emphatically that his book questioned the independence and probity of the judiciary. Yet his lawyer argued in court that Mr Shadrake had not intended to allege any cover-up "by the high echelons of the judiciary". This duplicity was not lost on the court.

Death and discrimination in Singapore | Parvais Jabbar and Saul Lehrfreund

Parvais Jabbar and Saul Lehrfreund — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 22:00:02 GMT

The writer Alan Shadrake has been jailed for exposing the lottery of Singapore's execution rates. It is scandalous

Last week, when the high court of Singapore convicted the British author Alan Shadrake for contempt, he knew that he faced the possibility of imprisonment for the offence. Today that became a reality when the 75-year-old was sentenced to six weeks in jail and fined for "scandalising the judiciary" for remarks in his book Once a Jolly Hangman: Singapore Justice in the Dock. The book includes an interview with Darshan Singh, the former chief executioner at Singapore's Changi prison, who was said to have executed 1,000 prisoners over half a century.

However, the central theme of the book is Shadrake's claim that Singapore's legal system does not accord equal treatment to those suspected of capital offences. The death penalty is mandatory for a number of offences including murder and possession of drugs over a certain amount. In Singapore, as a result, he asserts that the question of who lives and who dies is an arbitrary lottery.

Disgraceful jail sentence for British author in Singapore

Roy Greenslade — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 11:03:17 GMT

The jailing of 76-year-old British author Alan Shadrake in Singapore is, quite simply, a disgrace. It confirms that there is no freedom of expression in the city-state island.

Convicted of contempt of court, he must serve six weeks and pay a fine of SGD$20,000 (£9,600). He also faces separate charges of criminal defamation, which are punishable by a maximum of two years in prison and a hefty fine.

Singapore need not fear loosening censorship | John Kampfner

John Kampfner — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 17:55:41 GMT

Alan Shadrake's conviction for contempt shows Singapore's sinister side – but there are signs the country is changing

Sometimes the Singapore government cannot help itself. The conviction of Alan Shadrake, an outspoken but hitherto unknown British author, is not merely unjust; it reminds outsiders of the authoritarian and sinister side of a city state that most people associate only with shopping.

Shadrake is the latest in a long line of victims of one of the world's most vicious defamation cultures. Pretty much any criticism can be deemed as "insult". International media have fallen foul – from the Economist to the Far Eastern Economic Review – and most of the tiny group of opposition politicians have over the years been bankrupted and then imprisoned for going against the grain.

Alan Shadrake faces Singapore jail term for criticising use of death penalty

Justin McCurry — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 19:05:14 GMT

Contempt of court conviction for British author whose book fiercely criticises Singaporean justice system

When his head hit the pillow in his Singapore hotel room in the early hours of 18 July, Alan Shadrake must have believed his gamble had paid off.

Earlier that day, the British author had attended the launch of his controversial book, in which he accused Singapore's judiciary of bowing to outside pressure and applying double standards in its application of the death penalty.

British author faces prison sentence in Singapore

Justin McCurry — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 06:13:40 GMT

Alan Shadrake convicted of challenging integrity of Singapore judiciary in book on state's use of death penalty

The British author Alan Shadrake is today facing a possible prison sentence after a court in Singapore convicted him of challenging the integrity of the city state's judiciary in a book criticising its use of the death penalty.

Shadrake faces a custodial sentence or a fine – or both – for contempt of court when Singapore's high court sentences him next week.

Singapore's reputation on the line as British author fights on

James Gomez — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 12:14:25 GMT

The trial of Alan Shadrake for criticising the death penalty has damaged Singapore's standing

Singapore's long-serving administration has won some time to ponder how it will deal with yet another self-inflicted blow to its global branding.

The reprieve came as a Singapore court today postponed a case against the British author Alan Shadrake for three weeks.

British writer freed from Singapore jail

Haroon Siddique and agencies — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 08:10:35 GMT

Alan Shadrake, 75, released on bail after book about country's death penalty led to defamation and contempt of court charges

The veteran British journalist and author Alan Shadrake was released on bail in Singapore today after his arrest on suspicion of criminal defamation in relation to his book on the city-state's death penalty.

Shadrake, 75, was detained on Sunday after a complaint from the government's media development authority. He posted S$10,000 (£4,766) bail, and police are holding his passport, according to his lawyer, M Ravi.

Singapore arrests British author of death penalty book

Mark Tran — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 17:20:20 GMT

Alan Shadrake held for alleged criminal defamation and other offences after visiting Singapore for book launch

A veteran British journalist and author promoting his book on the death penalty in Singapore was arrested in the country today for alleged criminal defamation and other offences.

Alan Shadrake's arrest came two days after Singapore's Media Development Authority lodged a police report. The Foreign Office in London said it was seeking more information from local authorities.