A Singaporean activist was charged Monday with staging an illegal one-man protest after he stood outside a police station holding a sign bearing a smiley face.
The tightly controlled city-state has tough laws against dissent that make it illegal for even one person to hold a demonstration without a police permit.
Jolovan Wham, who has had numerous run-ins with the authorities, posted a photo of himself on social media in March holding the cardboard sign with the roughly drawn face.
He said he took the photo to support a climate activist who was questioned by police for taking a picture in the same spot holding a sign that read: “SG is better than oil”.
Wham, 40, was charged in court with taking part in a public assembly without a permit.
The activist posted a photo on social media of himself on his way to court wearing a t-shirt and a face mask with a smiley face printed on them.
