Charged For Pro-Palestine Protest, Indian-Origin Woman Allowed To Visit Grandparents In Kerala
charged for pro-palestine protest, indian-origin woman allowed to visit grandparents in kerala
Singapore: A Singapore court has allowed an Indian-origin woman, who was charged with organizing a pro-Palestine protest without a permit, to leave the country to visit her grandparents in Kerala.
35-year-old Annamalai Kokila Parvathi and two others were responsible for organising the procession in February to show support for the Palestinian cause without a permit. According to the laws of the country, a permit from the authority for holding a procession is a necessity.
Parvathi is currently out on bail and had applied for permission to go to Kerala to visit her grandparents, The Straits Times newspaper reported.
The application was granted by District Judge Lorraine Ho to allow Parvathi to leave the country's jurisdiction. However, several additional conditions were imposed, including an additional bail of SGD 10,000, the report said.
Parvathi and the two others were charged on June 27 with one count of abetment for organising a public procession in a prohibited area under the Public Order Act, PTI reported. Her bail was SGD 5,000, the report added.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Sunil Nair said that the urgency of the travel was not demonstrated by Parvathi. However, the prosecution did not reject the application as the bookings had been made prior to her being charged. An additional bail of SGD 10,000 was announced.
Protests are strictly regulated in Singapore and it does not allow public demonstrations which advocate causes of other countries. As per PTI, authorities have urged Singaporeans not to stage protests on issues and instead rely on participating in dialogues and donation drives.
(With Inputs From PTI)