3 women, aged 25, 29 & 35, charged with organising walk to Istana to support Palestinian cause

Three women were charged under the Public Order Act on Jun. 27 after they allegedly delivered letters to the Istana in support of the Palestinian cause with a group of about 70 people.

The women are Mossammad Sobikun Nahar, 25, Siti Amirah Mohamed Asrori, 29, and Annamalai Kokila Parvathi, 35.

All were charged for organising an assembly or procession without a permit on Feb. 2 along the perimeter of the Istana.

The Istana is a prohibited area under the Public Order Act, said the police.

All three women appeared in court accompanied by more than 10 people, CNA reported.

The three accused were represented by lawyer Derek Wong.

He said there was no indication of how they would plead at this point.

All three were offered bail of S$5,000 each.

Siti Amirah's case will be heard again on Jul. 25.

Mossammad and Annamalai's cases will be mentioned on Aug. 8.

What happened

According to the Singapore Police Force, the women had allegedly organised a procession to show their support for the Palestinian cause.

They allegedly solicited attendance online.

On Feb. 2, 70 people had assembled along Orchard Road outside a shopping mall at about 2pm.

They walked towards the Istana as they carried umbrellas painted with watermelon images.

The watermelon's colours are the same as those on the Palestinian flag, and the fruit has been used as a symbol of support for the Palestinian cause amid the Israel-Hamas war.

Participants of the Letters for Palestine event walked from Plaza Singapura to the Istana to deliver letters.

The letters were addressed to then-Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

The police added that Annamalai had previously been issued a stern warning on Dec. 5, 2017, and a 24-month conditional warning on Nov. 30, 2021 for her involvement in other public assemblies without a permit.

Siti Amirah is also under investigation for offences in a separate incident, the police said.

Police investigations into others who may have been involved in the Feb. 2 event are ongoing.

Top photo via Ng Yi-Sheng on Facebook