Blogger Yee fears persecution if returned by US to Singapore

A teenage blogger awaiting a Chicago immigration judge’s ruling on his asylum request to stay in the United States said Friday that he’s afraid of returning home to Singapore, where he was jailed after posting scathing blog posts about the government.

Amos Yee, 18, has been detained in the US since mid-December, when he was taken into custody at O’Hare International Airport. His closed-door immigration proceedings unfolded in a Chicago courtroom on Tuesday, with a judge saying he’ll decide within weeks.

“I’m most definitely fearful now that the Singapore government knows I am trying to escape to another country so I can continue to criticise them freely,” Yee said by phone from a Wisconsin detention centre. “I’m really worried.”

Yee, an atheist, was jailed twice in Singapore on charges including hurting the religious feelings of Muslims and Christians. However, many of his posts on YouTube, a blog and social media berate Singapore’s government.

He caused a stir in 2015 as the city-state was mourning the death of its first prime minister and he posted an expletive-laden and, at times, crude video about Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew just after his death.

Such open criticism of political leaders is frowned upon in Singapore. Yee’s case has drawn a lot of attention because he was imprisoned at age 16 alongside adults. Experts say the case, which is being watched closely abroad, raises questions about free speech and censorship, particularly online.