Dani Cuenca and Mireia SaezThe two Spanish newlyweds detained in Singapore for a week for demonstrating in front of the house of the maximum shareholder of the Valencia Football Club, Peter Lim, are already aware of the alleged crimes for which they are under investigation , as confirmed by police sources. the asian newspaper Strait Times.
According to information provided by the Singaporean newspaper, the couple, who reliably collaborate in investigations in order to leave the country as quickly as possible, are under investigation for an alleged offense of participating in a public meetingunder section 16(2) of the Public Order Act 2009.
As ABC was able to see, this section of local legislation establishes the rules against people who participate in a public meeting or procession without having obtained a permit, who, if found guilty, will be liable to a fine which will not exceed 3,000 local dollars. change, close to 2,100 euros.
It is the lesser evil and what the family of Dani and Mireia intends to achieve, who asked this Wednesday to reduce media noise to facilitate the return of the newlyweds to Spain, since from the Spanish government, through the Singapore embassy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, understand that the adaptation of a “low profile with regret“This can speed up the end of an investigation that is already lasting a week. In short, “keep your head down” until you get out of there, because at the moment it seems that they can ignore another accusation of vandalism, also included in the same legal document.
A draconian law, that of Singapore, to “preserve public order”, which, according to the international community, demonstrates a “lack of commitment” to the right to freedom of expression, as defined by Amnesty International in various reports published in recent years. .
Law questioned internationally
“In this context, International amnesty “Is concerned that Singapore has rejected recommendations to review existing laws aimed at improving the exercise of the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly,” the organization expressed in a signed document in 2016, which it expanded a year later after the arrest of a lone protester who mounted a piece of political art in the middle of the street to mark the anniversary of the former parliamentarian’s detention without trial Chia Thye Poh.
“International human rights law allows for certain restrictions on the exercise of the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly. However, some of these restrictions are only permitted if previously established by law; on the other hand, their purpose is to protect certain public interests (national or public security, public order and the protection of public health or morals) or the rights and freedoms of others; and, thirdly, whether they can be shown to be necessary for those purposes. Any restriction that does not meet these three requirements constitutes a violation of these rights and this arrest means that the authorities of Singapore has clearly failed this test“Amnesty then declared.
International impact
Likewise, the Singaporean press confirms, a few days after the news was known in Spain, that the police have filed a complaint against a 34-year-old man and a 30-year-old woman, whose passports were confiscated while the search continued. continue. . The event was of such magnitude and impact that the international press reported on it ever since. The Athletic from the New York Times, BBC or Timesas well as in other titles in Europe and South America.
“Police arrest Valencia fans on honeymoon in Singapore for protesting against Peter Lim,” headlines the New York Times; while the Times begins to write: “Valencia fans arrested in Singapore for criticizing club owner Peter Lim.” An impact that has certainly not received a positive reception in the offices of the club’s largest shareholder since 2014, which keeps the team in relegation positions.
The supporters have been detained in Singapore since last Friday, when their passports were confiscated after they took a photo with a banner reading “Lim go home” and put a sticker on the door of a building owned by the tycoon reading “Lim out “. ‘.
