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Associated Press

A Singapore teen seeking asylum after online posts mocking his government landed him in jail has appeared in a Chicago immigration court.
Amos Yee’s attorneys submitted his asylum application Monday. Yee appeared via video from an Illinois jail where he’s been held since immigration authorities took him into custody at O’Hare International Airport in December.

Yee said little during the initial hearing. He’s due back March 7, though attorneys are seeking an earlier date. Yee was imprisoned twice on charges of hurting religious feelings.
Lawyer Sandra Grossman says her client was persecuted based on laws meant to restrict his freedom of expression. She says if he returns, he’ll likely be jailed again.
Grossman says President Donald Trump’s recent immigration action, including the travel ban, has fueled uncertainty for Yee’s asylum case.


Singapore teen submits US asylum claim and appears in court

Human rights activists display placards showing support for 16-year-old Singaporean Amos Yee during a protest in Hong Kong on July 5, 2015. Yee was convicted in May this year on two criminal charges: wounding religious feelings in an expletive-laden video comparing Lee Kuan Yew to Jesus, and circulating an obscene cartoon of the former prime minister, who died in March. AFP PHOTO / DALE DE LA REY / AFP PHOTO / DALE de la REY

In this Tuesday, May, 12, 2015, file photo, Singapore teen blogger Amos Yee speaks to reporters while leaving the Subordinate Courts after being released on bail in Singapore. Yee has been detained in the US where he is seeking asylum. Photo: AP

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