A teenager who is in police custody for posting a video online that insulted Christianity and attacked Mr Lee Kuan Yew has been declared by his mother to be beyond her control.
A reliable source told The Straits Times Amos Yee’s mother has made a police report to that effect.
On Sunday, Amos, who will turn 17 this year, was arrested for a video he posted last Friday that allegedly celebrated the death of Singapore’s founding Prime Minister. The eight-minute-long video included remarks about Christianity that some people found insensitive.
In a statement yesterday, police said Amos will face charges in court today under Section 298 of the Penal Code for utterances against Christians with a “deliberate intent to wound religious feelings”. Other charges include circulating an obscene object and making threatening, abusive or insulting communication which is likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress.
Amos, a school leaver who blogged that he intended to pursue a career in film and YouTube videos, was largely slammed by netizens over the video, although some defended his right to his opinion.
More than 20 police reports have been lodged against him over the video as well as over obscene material posted on his blog on Sunday. Both the video and the blog post have since been removed.
The video, called Lee Kuan Yew Is Finally Dead!, had been viewed more than 600,000 times by Sunday.
Mr Lee died on March 23, aged 91.
Lawyer Chia Boon Teck, who was among those who made police reports, said: “Mr Lee spent his life helping Singaporeans to put food on the table and build roofs over our heads. Since we need not worry about food and shelter, we can indulge in contemplating our right to hurt others with our words in the name of freedom of speech.”
Source: www.straitstimes.com
