Second POFMA order for anti-death penalty activist group Transformative Justice Collective
Authorities also issued a targeted correction direction to LinkedIn, which will be required to carry a correction notice on a post by a "Julie O'Connor".
The entrance gate of Changi Prison. (File photo: Singapore Prison Service)
This audio is generated by an AI tool.
SINGAPORE: For the second time in less than a week, the Transformative Justice Collective (TJC) - an activist group that campaigns against the death penalty - has been issued a Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) order.
The correction direction relates to posts made by TJC on Facebook, Instagram and X on Aug 6, said the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Sunday (Aug 11).
MHA said the posts falsely state that the executions of two Singaporean death row prisoners on Aug 2 and Aug 7, 2024, were "scheduled without regard for due legal process" and that the state "uses capital punishment to arbitrarily decide whether people live or die".
An article on the government fact-checking website Factually explains further why these two assertions are false.
TJC has placed the required correction notices on all three social media platforms.
Earlier in the week, the group was handed a POFMA order over content regarding the treatment of prisoners on death row. Correction notices were similarly placed by TJC on the corresponding platforms.
On Sunday, MHA also issued LinkedIn a targeted correction direction over a post made by a "Julie O'Connor" on Aug 6. This means LinkedIn is required by law to insert a notice against the original post, with a link to the government’s clarification.
The post, which had one "Like" as of 4pm on Sunday, has been updated with a correction notice.
A LinkedIn spokesperson told CNA on Monday evening: "We are committed to keeping our platform trusted and professional, and we respect the laws that apply to us in the countries in which we operate."
In response to a CNA request for comment on the matter, the LinkedIn user said: "It's unrealistic to expect everyone to have the time or resources to fact-check every article they share; we typically rely on the author to verify their content and take responsibility for any inaccuracies."
Replying to CNA's queries, TJC said: "We categorically reject the government’s claims that we have spread falsehoods. In both directions, the government fundamentally mischaracterised our posts on the two executions."
