A 33-year-old Singaporean man, Chua Wang Cheng, also known as Cai Wangchen, was sentenced to six months in jail on December 23 for creating fake social media accounts to post anti-Islamic content under another person’s identity.
Chua was convicted of one charge under the Protection from Harassment Act and two charges of deliberately sharing content intended to wound the religious feelings of Muslims. Four additional charges were considered during sentencing.
The court heard that Chua’s actions stemmed from a grudge he held against the victim, a former acquaintance he had met in 2011 during national service. Chua found the victim to be arrogant and sarcastic, which led to years of resentment.
In February 2019, Chua created a Facebook account using the victim’s name and photograph. He added over 600 Facebook users as "friends" and began posting inflammatory content designed to incite hatred among Singapore’s racial and religious groups.
After complaints were lodged, the police summoned the victim, who denied ownership of the account and filed a police report. Despite this, Chua deactivated the fake account only to create another one shortly after, using the victim’s identity again.
Chua’s second account also featured anti-Islam posts. He shared two YouTube videos containing derogatory content about Islam, Prophet Muhammad, and the Muslim community. One of these videos, reviewed by the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis), was found to be intentionally disparaging.
Evidence uncovered during investigations revealed Chua’s intent. In a WeChat message, he admitted that posting anti-Muslim content “felt really good.”
The situation escalated in October 2020 when three separate individuals filed police reports about the inflammatory content. The victim was again questioned by the authorities, but subsequent investigations traced the activity back to Chua, who was then arrested.
During police interrogations, Chua confessed to his actions, stating that his goal was to harm the victim’s reputation and cause him distress.
The court considered Chua’s mild autistic traits but noted that an assessment by the Institute of Mental Health found he had no active mental disorders influencing his behavior at the time of the offenses.
Prosecutors argued that Chua’s actions were deliberate, calculated, and harmful, not only to the victim but also to social cohesion in Singapore. The victim suffered significant psychological and professional harm due to Chua’s harassment, being questioned by authorities on multiple occasions and facing the stigma associated with the false accusations.
District Judge Carol Ling emphasized the seriousness of the offenses, stating that the deliberate targeting of an individual and the dissemination of hate speech warranted a custodial sentence.
The case underscores the severe consequences of using social media to spread hate speech and impersonate others. Sharing content intended to harm religious sentiments is a serious offense in Singapore, carrying penalties of up to three years’ imprisonment, a fine, or both.
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