Singapore activist Kokila Annamalai charged under POFMA over refusal to comply with correction order

Singaporean activist Kokila Annamalai was charged on 23 April 2026 with failing to comply with a correction direction issued under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA).

The charge marks a rare prosecution under the law since its introduction in 2019.

Court documents identified her full name as Annamalai Kokila Parvathi.

She is believed to be the second individual charged under POFMA, following Jay Ish'haq Rajoo, who was charged in March over false statements posted on TikTok.

Annamalai appeared at the State Courts accompanied by several supporters.

She did not indicate how she would plead. A pre-trial conference has been scheduled for May.

Allegations over social media posts

The 37-year-old is accused of failing to comply with a correction direction issued on 5 October 2024.

The directive concerned social media posts published days earlier relating to a death row inmate, Mohammad Azwan Bohari, and the scheduling of his execution.

Authorities stated that the posts falsely claimed “the government schedules and stays executions arbitrarily without regard for due legal process” and that “the state does not bear the legal burden of providing a drug trafficking charge against the accused person”.

According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, these assertions misrepresented Singapore’s legal framework governing executions and drug trafficking prosecutions.

Correction order and refusal to comply

The correction direction formed part of a broader set of orders issued on the same day to the Transformative Justice Collective (TJC), an advocacy group opposing the death penalty.

The directive was issued by the Minister for Home Affairs and Law, K Shanmugam, and covered statements published on TJC’s website and social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and X.

Authorities stated that both TJC and Annamalai had disseminated misinformation concerning execution scheduling and legal procedures.

Annamalai refused to comply with the order.

She publicly rejected the directive, arguing that it exceeded the intended scope of POFMA.

“Policing my opinions is beyond the scope of POFMA,” she wrote in a statement. “It is a gross abuse of power to force those with an opposing view to discredit and humiliate ourselves.”

She added, “Shanmugam may have the power to issue POFMA orders, but I have the strength of my conviction.”

Her stance prompted a wave of support from activists and members of the public.

On 22 October 2024, a group of 33 individuals launched a solidarity campaign using the hashtag #idefypofma.

Participants reposted her original message, which had been subject to the correction direction, describing their actions as collective defiance against the order.

Annamalai had previously faced charges in a separate case involving a pro-Palestinian procession to the Istana.

She and two other women claimed trial and were acquitted in October 2025.

Under POFMA, individuals convicted of failing to comply with a correction direction may face penalties of up to 12 months’ imprisonment, a fine of up to S$20,000, or both.

The legislation, enacted in 2019, allows authorities to issue correction directions and other orders to address online content deemed false.

Concerns over the law’s scope have been raised by international organisations.

In October 2025, the Human Rights Foundation, a United States-based non-governmental organisation, urged Singapore to strengthen protections for fundamental freedoms.

The group called on authorities to end what it described as harassment of journalists, activists and opposition groups.

Its report stated that broad and restrictive laws continue to criminalise criticism of government officials.

POFMA was identified as a key mechanism in this framework.

The organisation said the law enables authorities to “stifle dissent and silence critics”, contributing to tighter control over public discourse.