Amos Yee detained in US while seeking political asylum

The South China Morning Post reported that teen blogger Amos Yee has been detained in the United States of America (US) while trying to seek political asylum. Amos Yee’ mother Mary Toh said that she had been informed of his detention by a US-based legal team Amos has approached.

Melissa Chen, Singaporean activist who is based in US in speaking to the Hong Kong based publication, said that Amos landed in Chicago O-Hare Airport on 16 Dec with a tourist visa. He was detained after a secondary screening in which he told border control officers that he was seeking asylum.

Ms Chen last spoke with Amos by video link on 22 Dec. He is being held at the Henry County Jail near Chicago.

Amos was given six weeks’ jail and fined $2,000 in total for eight charges on 29 Sep. Six of these charges were for intending to wound the feelings of Muslims and/or Christians. He was recently released on home detention.

Amos first got into trouble soon after Singapore’s founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan yew passed away in March 2015. He posted several controversial content, one which included superimposed faces of Mr Lee and former British premier Margaret Thatcher in an awkward hand-drawn cartoon.