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Photo: Changi Prison - penreyes
The Singapore government charged Jay Ish'haq Rajoo — a vocal critic of the government — with three criminal counts under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) on 11 March 2026, making him the first person to face criminal prosecution under the Act since it came into force in 2019. Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and other organisations issued a joint statement on March 25 calling on Singapore to drop all charges and repeal POFMA as incompatible with international human rights law.
The Charges and POFMA's Track Record
Rajoo faces three counts of communicating "false statements of fact" under Section 7 of POFMA, two counts of defamation against former Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Minister Chee Hong Tat, and one count of "promoting feelings of ill will between racial groups" under the Penal Code. If convicted, he faces fines and up to five years' imprisonment under POFMA and further penalties under the Penal Code. The charges stem from TikTok videos posted in 2023 and 2025 raising concerns about the use of the Central Provident Fund and alleging government discrimination in political patronage.
POFMA empowers ministers — rather than courts — to determine what constitutes a "false statement of fact" and to issue correction direction orders requiring individuals to publish government "clarifications" alongside their posts. Since 2019, the law has been used to suppress criticism of public officials, target independent media, opposition politicians, and human rights defenders. In November 2025, the website MalaysiaNow was blocked for alleged non-compliance after it raised concerns about the execution of a Malaysian national. Rajoo had previously complied with POFMA correction direction orders in 2023 and 2025; the government stated that a 2025 video breached a conditional warning, triggering the current criminal charges.
Human Rights Assessment and Demands
The joint statement — signed by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, CIVICUS, and FORUM-ASIA — stated that POFMA is "inherently incompatible with international law and standards on the right to freedom of expression." Overly broad prohibitions on disseminating information based on concepts such as "false news" must meet the three-part test of legality, legitimate aim, and necessity and proportionality. Criminal sanctions are generally not a justifiable response to online misinformation.
The organisations called on Singapore's authorities to drop all charges against Rajoo, end the use of POFMA to silence legitimate criticism, and repeal the Act entirely. During the 2021 Universal Periodic Review of Singapore's human rights record at the UN Human Rights Council, multiple states called for POFMA's review or repeal. Singapore has not acted on these recommendations.
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