Han Hui Hui

Singapore, CAHR, Autumn 2018

I am a Singaporean human rights defender who focuses on issues regarding public housing, public healthcare and pensions for retirement. Being born after 1990 into the era of the internet, I started blogging as a student who was also working at the same time, sharing my experiences online on my blog with regards to education and employment. I was merely curious about the society and the world, hence raising questions on my social media accounts about government policies which have direct implications to my life.

In 2013, blogging on the education system caused a statutory board under Singapore's Ministry of Education to threaten to sue me for defamation, when I was raising questions with regards to Singapore's education system. I was 21 years old when I received the letter of demand that wanted to silence my freedom of speech - the case eventually did not proceed as I had intended to go to the high court to raise a constitutional challenge as to whether a government agency can sue a citizen for defamation. After this the Singapore government amended the Sedition Act (CHAPTER 290) on 31 August 2013 and Defamation Act (CHAPTER 75) on 28 February 2014.

In 2014, holding events to talk about the employment situation in Singapore caused my supporters and I to be harassed by Singapore's police with very late night visits to our homes and long interviews without any meal in the police station. I underwent a total of 8 hours at the police station from 2pm till 8pm for interrogation by the police, denied of legal assistance and had my paper notebook that was used to take down notes being seized from me. Subsequently the Singapore government implemented the Protection from Harassment Act (CHAPTER 256A) on 31 May 2015.

In 2015, the Singapore government decided to charge me for public nuisance and illegal assembly when organising an event with regards to Singapore's pension fund. I was 23 years old when the Singapore government used four deputy public prosecutors to charge my supporters and me in court; we were without any legal representation. Prior to that, we had been holding events on Singapore's public transport, public housing, and public healthcare, and the crowd size was increasing. After this the Singapore government amended the Public Order Act (CHAPTER 257A) on 8 May 2016 and implemented the Administration of Justice (Protection) Bill on 11 July 2016.

Many countries around the world look up to Singapore as a role model without knowing what exactly is happening inside the country.

In 2016, I started raising awareness and encouraging young females to step forward and have an active voice. It cause me to be disqualified from standing as a candidate in Singapore's general election. Singapore's Judge Chay Yuen Fatt said that I "rallied [my] Facebook readers to come to the CPF event". And that I "made vitriolic speeches to denounce the government and various government policies". As a result, the Singapore government added a new section 6A "Advance notice of events having prescribed crowd size" to the Public Order Act (CHAPTER 257A) on 3 April 2017.

In 2017, I was 25 years old when I continued to raise awareness by making videos and posting them online. The Singapore government then through the Attorney-General's Chambers, issued me a letter of demand for contempt of court where I was made to remove 14 seconds of my YouTube video, edit three of my Facebook postings and posted a total of 18 links on my social media accounts or, potentially face 18 years' jail and SGD $600,000 fine. Later that year, my movement was also restricted when the Malaysian immigration deported me under the demand of the Singapore government for being a "national threat" who will affect "bilateral relationships". After this the Singapore government added new sections 16 to 16AC and 19A "Protection from personal liability" to the Public Order Act (CHAPTER 257A) on 8 May 2017.

In 2018, Singapore had the first public select committee hearing in the 21st century where I was manhandled and forcibly removed for holding the cover image of a book by Jothie Rajah, who used to be the wife of the Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Law. The book critiques the Singaporean legal system, "Authoritarian Rule of Law, Legislation, Discourse and Legitimacy in Singapore". Subsequently the Singapore government implemented The Public Order and Safety (Special Powers) Act on 16 May 2018.

I'm grateful for the increasing support that I've got over the years and I hope to be able to continue raising awareness in the world about what's happening in Singapore. This is important as many countries around the world look up to Singapore as a role model without knowing what exactly is happening inside the country or the suffering of Singaporeans. I hope that the book I've written during my fellowship in York about how the Singapore government is treating Singaporeans in the 2010s can help people around the world to recognise a modern authoritarian state. Hopefully, it will prevent other countries from having democratic recession and the world can become a better place for us all with positive influences.