Activist Jolovan Wham charged over candlelight vigils to mark executions of 3 drug traffickers

SINGAPORE – Four months after being sentenced over taking part in candlelight vigils for inmates on death row, activist Jolovan Wham Kwok Han has been handed new charges over similar activities.

He appeared in a district court on Sept 7 and received four charges under the Public Order Act, as well as one of refusing to answer questions from a public servant.

Three of the new charges involve unlawful candlelight vigils to mark the executions of three drug traffickers.

Wham, 46, was earlier charged in February 2025 over taking part in five candlelight vigils between March 2022 and April 2023, for four prison inmates on death row.

He was later convicted of three charges and was fined $10,500 in May 2026.

Regarding his latest charges, he allegedly took part in three candlelight vigils near Changi Prison between November 2024 and January 2025, even though no permits were granted for the events.

They were held to mark the executions of Singaporeans Masoud Rahimi Mehrzad, 35, Syed Suhail Syed Zin, 48, and Rosman Abdullah, 55.

In earlier statements, the Central Narcotics Bureau said that each man had been convicted of having in his possession between 31.14g and 57.43g of pure heroin for trafficking.

Offenders trafficking more than 15g of the drug can face the death penalty.

Separately, Wham was at Bedok Police Division on Nov 28, 2024, when he allegedly refused to answer questions from a station inspector. Details about the questions were not disclosed in court documents.

For his fifth charge, he allegedly organised an assembly at the State Courts, a prohibited area, calling for the abolition of the capital punishment in Singapore on Feb 3, 2025.

Wham’s pre-trial conference will take place on Sept 9.

Shaffiq Alkhatib is The Straits Times’ court correspondent, covering mainly criminal cases heard at the State Courts.