How a teen blogger is pushing Singapore’s free speech limits

More than a month after being charged for disparaging the late Lee Kuan Yew and Christianity, 16-year-old teen blogger Amos Yee awaits a court ruling on Tuesday. If found guilty, Singapore’s Yee could face up to three years in prison. Yee’s case has focused attention on the limitations of free speech in the cosmopolitan city-state. For years, Singapore’s government has aggressively protected its image and authority with legal actions both against domestic and international critics. However, many believe Yee’s case stands out as he was targeted by prosecutors for a strongly-worded video.

It crosses the red line on religion. But I think that Amos Yee is not doing himself or his family any favors. How do you deal with a 16-year-old that is not able to comply with rules of society?

Grace Fu, Singapore’s second minister for foreign affairs

Yee, who won a local filmmaking prize at age 13, has posted 30 videos to his YouTube channel, including praise for police response to a 2013 riot and a wry lesson in the Singlish dialect. His last — eight minutes of criticism of former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, “his followers” and Christians (Yee says he’s atheist) — used statistics borrowed from blogger and political activist Roy Ngerng.

Asia-Pacific Amos Yee