PETALING JAYA: A Singapore rapper who accused authorities there of racism has lost the appeal against his conviction and sentence on four counts of attempting to promote ill will among racial and religious groups.
The High Court in Singapore dismissed his appeal and ordered Subhas Nair to serve his six-week jail term starting today, The Straits Times reported.
Justice Hoo Sheau Peng said she agreed with the lower court’s finding that Nair had knowingly tried to promote feelings of ill will on all four charges.
She added that under the law, there was no requirement to prove deliberate malicious intent.
In September 2023, Nair, an outspoken musician of Indian descent, was sentenced to six weeks’ imprisonment after being found guilty of attempting to promote ill will between different ethnic and religious groups.
One of the charges related to a 2019 rap video that criticised an advertisement featuring a local Chinese actor who darkened his skin to portray an Indian.
Police in 2019 issued a warning over the video to Nair and his sister Preetipls – a well-known local comedian, who rapped alongside him.
During his trial, Nair testified that the video was intended to end such instances of “brownface” in Singapore.
Nair was charged after he posted comments on social media over the following two years, including a post appearing to suggest that a Chinese man involved in the death of an Indian had received lenient treatment from authorities because of his race.
Nair appealed both his conviction and sentence, with the case being heard by the court over three days in August and October of last year.
Hoo today said that Nair had shown a clear disregard for the law, adding that the warning by the police did not stop him from making the subsequent social media posts.
She added that the rapid spread and vast reach of one’s views shared online made social media a potent and harmful form of communication.
