US Citizen Arrested in Singapore for E-mail Insult
A U.S. citizen has been arrested in Singapore for allegedly insulting a judge in an e-mail.
Gopalan Pallichadath Nair was arrested on Saturday and charged with "threatening, abusing or insulting a public servant," the Singapore Police Force said in a statement.
Nair allegedly sent the e-mail to Singapore's attorney general and solicitor general last week, criticizing Singapore Supreme Court Judge Belinda Ang's handling of a hearing to assess damages in a defamation lawsuit brought by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Long and Minister Mentor Lee Kwan Yew against Chee Soon Juan, the secretary-general of the opposition Singapore Democratic Party, and his sister, Chee Siok Chin, the Straits Times reported.
The letter was posted on Nair's blog.
Nair, a lawyer and former member of Singapore's opposition Workers' Party, became a U.S. citizen in 2005.
Under Singaporean law, Nair faces a fine of up to S$5,000 (US$3,669) and one year in prison if he is convicted, the Straits Times reported.
