14-11-2021, 09:17 AM
Shuttered Singapore news site's editor guilty of defamation
Fri, 12 November 2021, 7:04 PM
The editor of a shuttered Singapore news website may face jail after being convicted on Friday of defaming government ministers over a letter published on the portal.
It is the latest case to fuel concerns about worsening press freedoms in tightly controlled Singapore, with authorities accused of using heavy-handed tactics to silence dissent.
The Online Citizen, which was often critical of authorities, had long been in the government's crosshairs, and finally had its licence cancelled last month over a failure to declare funding sources.
On Friday, chief editor Terry Xu was convicted of defaming cabinet members over the publication of a letter on the site stating there was "corruption at the highest echelons", according to court documents.
The 39-year-old, who will be sentenced next month, faces up to two years in jail and a fine for approving the publication in 2018.
The letter's author, Daniel De Costa Augustin, was also convicted of defamation and breaking computer crime laws for sending the piece from another person's email account without their consent.
The 38-year-old faces up to two years in jail for each count.
https://sg.news.yahoo.com/shuttered-sing...00122.html
Fri, 12 November 2021, 7:04 PM
The editor of a shuttered Singapore news website may face jail after being convicted on Friday of defaming government ministers over a letter published on the portal.
It is the latest case to fuel concerns about worsening press freedoms in tightly controlled Singapore, with authorities accused of using heavy-handed tactics to silence dissent.
The Online Citizen, which was often critical of authorities, had long been in the government's crosshairs, and finally had its licence cancelled last month over a failure to declare funding sources.
On Friday, chief editor Terry Xu was convicted of defaming cabinet members over the publication of a letter on the site stating there was "corruption at the highest echelons", according to court documents.
The 39-year-old, who will be sentenced next month, faces up to two years in jail and a fine for approving the publication in 2018.
The letter's author, Daniel De Costa Augustin, was also convicted of defamation and breaking computer crime laws for sending the piece from another person's email account without their consent.
The 38-year-old faces up to two years in jail for each count.
https://sg.news.yahoo.com/shuttered-sing...00122.html
