A blogger here said he had crowdfunded almost S$100,000 (RM307,230) that he was ordered to pay as damages for defaming the prime minister by sharing an article on Facebook.
Leong Sze Hian was sued by Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong after sharing the piece, which linked Lee to the 1Malaysia Development Berhad money-laundering scandal in Malaysia.
Critics say the case is the latest example of the government seeking to silence dissent online in the tightly regulated city-state.
A court last month found in Lee’s favour and ordered the blogger to pay the prime minister S$133,000 (RM408,600) plus costs, which are yet to be determined.
Leong launched an online fundraising drive and said late Sunday that more than 2,000 people had contributed the full amount after 11 days.
“We have hit 133k, thanks to all Singaporeans, ” he wrote on Facebook.
“It’s thanks to your help that we had the courage to face them.” — AFP
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