Amos Yee holds livestream, expresses hope to be protest symbol and suggests he won’t serve jail sentence ‘obediently’
Convicted sex offender Amos Yee held a 1.5-hour livestream on his YouTube channel on the evening of April 14, where he shared his aspirations of becoming a protest symbol as well as how he would react if he was sentenced to prison.
The livestream, which ran for one hour and 37 minutes, saw Yee answer questions posted by viewers interspersed with personal anecdotes, including a family reunion upon his return to Singapore. He also shared plans to produce edited videos in the future.
Hopes to see people protest for him
During the livestream, a viewer asked Yee if he thought he had hit “the peak of [his] activist journey”, to which the blogger replied “absolutely not”.
“I think the peak of my activism will be people protesting for me on the streets in Singapore,” Yee said, adding that he wished to see thousands of people protest on his behalf or over political issues.
“I would much rather have a devoted audience who will protest for me or risk their lives, go to prison for me, than a million views,” Yee then said, explaining he had gained a better understanding on how to curate a dedicated viewership.
Suggests he won’t serve jail sentence obediently
Responding to a viewer’s question on whether he was excited to serve national service (NS), Yee said he believed many people would like to see him “redeem” himself by serving his jail sentence.
“[I] don’t want to reveal too much of my plans, but being me, do you think I would just guai guai (obediently) serve my one-year punishment and then go to NS and serve smoothly for two years? Does that seem like my character?” Yee asked.
“You’d really think I’ll never break the law again? Never do something illegal again? Never try to publicly protest and not do anything illegal ever? I don’t think so.”
Reportedly banned from church in Singapore
Yee, who renounced Catholicism as a teenager, shared that he recently attended a church in Singapore after he converted to Christianity. There, a pastor allegedly expressed concern about his presence, especially around younger churchgoers, and suggested Yee could only enter the premises with a chaperone.
He stated it would be difficult to change his opinions and pointed to previous blog posts he penned defending paedophiles.
Yee then asked if he could be placed in a cell group with no teenagers, but was apparently left without a response.
After “debating” with the pastor, Yee accused the pastor of abruptly changing his tune and barring him from visiting the church, even if he was accompanied by a chaperone. Frustrated, Yee questioned why the pastor wanted to implement “half measures” instead of banning him from the start.
Yee was charged with solicitation and possession of child porn in the United States in October 2020.
Arrested upon returning to Singapore and released on bail
The 27-year-old was arrested upon his return to Singapore on March 20 and charged for violating the Enlistment Act, which requires all male Singaporeans and permanent residents to serve NS.
He was released on March 26 after his mother posted the $10,000 bail imposed on him.
Yee is due for a pre-trial conference slated for April 23. As part of his bail conditions, he is not allowed to publish materials, disclose information, or make public comments on his ongoing case.
Yee faces three charges under the Enlistment Act and if convicted, can be jailed for up to three years, fined up to $10,000, or both.
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