On May 15, Lawrence Wong was sworn in as prime minister of Singapore following two decades of rule under Lee Hsien Loong. Since taking office, Wong has upheld his predecessor’s policies, including the continued use of the death penalty, which drew widespread international condemnation. The home minister intensified the crackdown on anti-death penalty activists, long targets of government harassment and intimidation. Throughout the year, the Singaporean government wielded its arsenal of overly broad and repressive laws to stifle free expression and dissent.

Criminal Justice System

While the global trend is towards abolishing the death penalty, Singapore maintains its use for a range of crimes, including drug-related offenses. This year, the government issued execution notices to individuals convicted of drug-related offenses, even as their appeals were pending, and introduced legislation that further impedes the rights of prisoners in capital cases.

In May, Singapore Home Minister K. Shanmugam announced the Post-Appeal Applications in Capital Cases Act (PACC)—a law that further curtails fair trial and due process rights of prisoners in capital cases—would come into effect. Enacted in June, the PACC severely limits prisoners’ ability to appeal their convictions and contravenes the 1984 UN Safeguards guaranteeing protection of the rights of those facing the death penalty.

Freedom of Expression

Singaporean authorities frequently use overly broad and restrictive laws to silence criticism of the government and restrict the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.

The Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) gives the government broad discretionary powers to censor online content. Authorities use it to silence and intimidate independent media, opposition politicians, and civil society actors by forcing them to post subjective, government-determined “corrections” and intimidating others to self-censor. The POFMA also allows the designation of websites or webpages as “Declared Online Locations” (DOL), which blocks the site owner from receiving any financial benefits and requires them to display a DOL notice on their website.

This year the government invoked the POFMA law against several opposition politicians, including Kenneth Jeyaretnam, secretary-general of the Reform Party, who received multiple corrections notices, including for criticizing a government-led housing project. The government also designated his website and social media profiles as DOLs.

The Hostile Information Campaigns provisions of the Foreign Interference (Counter-Measures) Act (FICA) grants the home minister broad powers to require the removal or disabling of online content, publication of mandatory messages drafted by the government, banning of apps from being downloaded in Singapore, and disclosure of information by internet and social media companies. It also allows the government to designate individuals or groups as “politically significant persons” (PSP) who can be required to follow strict limits on receiving funding and to disclose all links with foreigners. The law’s broad language encompasses a wide range of ordinary activities by civil society activists, academics, and journalists who engage with non-Singaporeans.

On February 26, the authorities invoked the FICA against Singaporean citizen Chan Man Ping Philip, designating him as a PSP for showing “susceptibility” to foreign influence. The authorities have previously designated two civil society groups as PSPs and also announced on July 11 that it would designate the National Trades Union Congress due to its alleged close ties with the opposition People’s Action Party. Rights groups are concerned the government may be using the law’s broad provisions to curtail freedoms.

Women’s and Girls’ Rights

Women and girls in Singapore experience sexual and gender-based violence and various forms of workplace discrimination, including insufficient legal protections for pregnant employees and migrant workers.

Sexual harassment in the workplace remains prevalent in Singapore. The government has not ratified the International Labour Organization Violence and Harassment Convention (C190), which would mandate comprehensive protections to end violence and harassment, including gender-based violence, at work.

The UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) expressed concern over rising online gender-based violence in the country, including “image-based sexual abuse.” A Singaporean women’s rights organization reported growing alarm among youth, particularly young girls, over image-based sexual violence amid a regional epidemic of digital sex crimes.

Freedom of Assembly

The government tightly restricts the right to peaceful assembly through the Public Order Act (POA), which requires a police permit for any “cause-related” assembly if it is held in a public place or in a private venue if members of the public are invited. The law defines an “assembly” extremely broadly, and those who fail to obtain the required permits face criminal charges. The POA also grants the police commissioner authority to reject any permit application for an assembly or procession “directed towards a political end” if any foreigner is involved.

On February 2, about 70 people marched towards the Istana—Singapore’s Presidential Office—carrying watermelon umbrellas in solidarity with the Palestinian cause. The group had letters to deliver to the then-prime minister urging him to cut ties with Israel. Organizers of the march, activists Annamalai Kokila Parvathi, Siti Amirah Mohamed Asrori, and Mossammad Sobikun Nahar, were later investigated and then charged on June 27 under the POA for organizing a public gathering without a permit.

Human Rights Defenders

The Singaporean government intensified its efforts to target and silence human rights defenders under the guise of protecting its judicial system.

On May 8, the home minister condemned prominent anti-death penalty activists, publicly naming them in a ministerial address and accusing them of falsely portraying the criminal justice system as “stacked against drug traffickers.” All those named had already been subjected to orders under the POFMA for their activism.

On May 31, the Singaporean High Court removed human rights defender and lawyer Ravi Madasamy from the roll of advocates and solicitors for making false allegations against one of the country’s former leaders. Madasamy has long been targeted by the government, the courts, and the legal establishment who said he was undermining the judiciary.