Singapore Court Fines Doctor for Insulting Remarks About Islam
Kho Kwang Po, whose medical license expired at the end of 2020, had first shared the post on April 21, 2016. Despite receiving a conditional warning over it, he reposted the same content exactly five years later, in 2021.
According to Deputy Public Prosecutor Sean Teh, the post remained publicly accessible and was intended for wide viewership, Channel News Asia reported.
Authorities began investigating Kho after two police reports were filed in June 2021. One anonymous complainant accused him of sharing remarks "highly insulting towards Islam," while another claimed he had been sharing similar content over several years.
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Although the charge carried a possible jail term of up to three years, the court considered mitigating factors, including Kho's advanced age, his guilty plea, and the limited reach of the post. “These posts were made with deliberation,” said Teh, citing that the repost demonstrated the accused’s persistence in expressing such views.
Kho’s legal team acknowledged his misjudgment and emphasized that he was remorseful. His lawyer noted that the doctor is unlikely to reoffend.
District Judge Eddy Tham found the remarks “objectively insulting,” adding, “As a doctor, you should have known better than to propagate such views on the internet.” He ultimately imposed the maximum fine permissible under the Magistrates’ Courts.
Source: Agencies
