UN rights professional worried over Singapore trial of teen blogger

[JURIST] UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and safety of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, David Kaye, warned [press release] on Monday that the upcoming trial in Singapore of a teenage blogger is an indication of improved criminalization of expression. The trial is scheduled this week for a 17 year-antique blogger who published to Fb content that allegedly “wounded the non secular feelings of Muslims and Christians.” If convicted on the trial in which he’ll guard himself, the teen will face up to a few years in jail. The UN Unique Rapporteur asserted that the trial is contrary to global human rights regulation because (1) the trial issues a lawful expression and (2) the teenager is considered a baby under international human rights regulation. The UN professional expressed that “handiest critical and severe instances of incitement to hatred” are to be prohibited as criminal offenses beneath international human rights law, even if the expression is traumatic, offensive or surprising.

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Singapore has faced growing international worries about its human rights practices. Final month JURIST visitor columnist Stephen Cooper, former DC public defender, mentioned [JURIST op-ed] with JURIST the harshness of the death penalty in California, Singapore and different places. In Might also Singapore police officers introduced [JURIST report] the putting demise of a man allegedly complicit in the loss of life of some other. In July of Closing 12 months a Singapore courtroom launched [JURIST report] a 16-yr-antique video blogger who have been jailed after posting pics and movies insulting the u . S .’s first prime minister. In January 2015 a spokesperson for the UN Workplace of the High Commissioner for Human Rights voiced [JURIST report] concern over the continuing use of the demise penalty in Southeast Asia as punishment for drug-related crimes Dba Press.