My Take | Absolute freedom of speech comes at a price
Young Singaporean blogger Amos Yee, like some of the editors at Charlie Hebdo magazine, stick by their convictions despite the cost
Most people believe in freedom of speech but only very few advocate absolute and unconditional free speech.
Singaporean teenage blogger Amos Yee and the people behind the French magazine Charlie Hebdo are among those few who have the courage of their conviction. For that, they pay a heavy price.
Yee, 17, was jailed for six weeks late last month after he was found guilty of “wounding religious feelings” by posting online videos critical of Islam and Christianity.
This is his second prison term in as many years. Last year, he spent four weeks in jail for insulting Christians. But many believe it was his critical comments about Singapore’s late founder Lee Kuan Yew that got him in trouble.
In an interview with an American newscaster, Yee said you should be able to say anything at anytime about anyone, provided you can back up your statements with facts and evidence.
That’s the only real meaning of free speech, according to him. It’s hard to argue with him logically. The ideal of free speech is analogous to our telling children not to lie, yet there are so many lies in our private and public lives.