3 women who organised pro-Palestinian procession to Istana should have made enquiries over route: Judge
Three women who were previously acquitted for organising a pro-Palestinian procession to the Istana were fined S$3,000 each after the High Court overturned their acquittal on Thursday (30 April).
Justice See Kee Oon found that the trio — Siti Amirah Mohamed Asrori, 30, Annamalai Kokila Parvathi, 37, and Mossammad Sobikun Nahar, 26 — “ought reasonably to have made the appropriate enquiries” that would have revealed the route was a prohibited area, according to court proceedings reported by Channel NewsAsia (CNA).
From left: Siti Amirah Mohamed Asrori, Annamalai Kokila Parvathi and Mossamad Sobikun Nahar. Source: @sgacadboycott on Instagram
Woman charged over 2024 pro-Palestinian procession to Istana
The women were part of a group of about 70 people who walked from Plaza Singapura to the Istana’s rear gate between 2pm and 3pm on 2 Feb 2024.
They aimed to deliver letters on the Palestinian cause to the Prime Minister’s Office.
Court footage showed participants carrying umbrellas painted with watermelon motifs — a symbol associated with the Palestinian flag.
Women acquitted in Oct 2025
The women were subsequently charged with organising a procession along the perimeter of the Istana — a prohibited area under the Public Order Act.
On 21 Oct 2025, District Judge John Ng acquitted the trio, finding that while they had organised the procession, the prosecution had failed to prove they knew that the route was within a prohibited area.
He noted that the path used was a public pavement with no signage indicating the restrictions.
Source: @sghungerstrike4gaza on Instagram
Women ought to have known: Prosecution
Appealing the verdict on Thursday, Deputy Public Prosecutor Hay Hung Chun argued that the judge had conflated “actual knowledge” with whether the women “ought reasonably to have known”.
He highlighted that police advisories had stated that events related to the Israel-Hamas conflict would not be permitted — something he described as a “red flag” for an “honest and reasonable person” to make further inquiries.
He also pointed out that the women were aware that a previous similar event had been cancelled due to the lack of a police permit.
Defence lawyer Derek Wong urged the court to uphold the acquittal, arguing that knowing about the law did not necessarily mean knowing what a prohibited area was.
Judge says earlier judge had erred
Justice See eventually ruled that the trial judge had erred in failing to apply a legal test correctly.
He also said that it was “disconcerting” and he was “troubled” that the district judge’s oral grounds were longer than his final written grounds.
Following the women’s conviction, the prosecution did not seek a jail sentence and left sentencing to the court.
The judge then imposed a S$3,000 fine on each woman — within the range of the penalties prescribed under the law, which allows for up to six months’ jail and/or a fine of up to S$10,000.
Also read: 3 women accused of organising procession around Istana for Palestine found not guilty
3 women accused of organising procession around Istana for Palestine found not guilty
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Featured image adapted from @sgacadboycott on Instagram.
