Singapore - A Singaporean teenager who attacked the city-state's founding leader Lee Kuan Yew in a video and blog was convicted on two criminal charges Tuesday but was freed on bail and is unlikely to spend time in jail.
In a case seen by critics as a move to muzzle criticism of the government, 16-year-old Amos Yee was found to have hurt religious feelings in a video likening Lee to Jesus and posting an obscene cartoon in a blog.
He had pleaded not guilty to both charges, which related to a graphic image of Lee and former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher that the teenager posted on his blog, and a video rant which he uploaded after the death of Singapore's patriarch on March 23.
In the eight-minute monologue titled "Lee Kuan Yew is finally dead", Yee described Lee as a "horrible person" and compared him with Jesus, saying "they are both power-hungry and malicious but deceive others into thinking they are compassionate and kind".
"I am satisfied that the ingredients of the charge have been proved beyond a reasonable doubt and the accused is accordingly found guilty and convicted," district judge Jasvender Kaur said in her written verdict.
Although both charges provide for jail terms and fines, state prosecutors told the judge that imprisonment or a fine would not be suitable, describing Yee as a "misguided young man" who needed counselling and "appropriate probation".
AFP
