Singapore: Activist Kokila Annamalai was charged on Thursday (Apr 23) for allegedly failing to comply with a correction direction issued to her in 2024 under Singapore’s Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA).

According to court documents, Annamalai, whose full name is listed as Annamalai Kokila Parvathi, is accused of not adhering to a correction directive issued on Oct 5, 2024. The directive was related to social media posts she had made earlier concerning a drug trafficking case involving Mohammad Azwan Bohari.

Authorities had stated that the posts contained claims suggesting that execution processes were conducted arbitrarily and without due legal process. They also said the posts included statements regarding the legal burden of proof in drug trafficking cases.

Following the directive, Annamalai was required to publish correction notices on her posts. However, as per court records, she did not comply. Instead, she later posted on social media that she did not agree with the correction direction and maintained her earlier statements.

Annamalai, 37, appeared at the State Courts and did not indicate her plea during the hearing. The case has been scheduled for a pre-trial conference in May.

She is reportedly among a small number of individuals charged under POFMA since the law came into effect in 2019.

In a separate matter, Annamalai had earlier faced charges along with two others in connection with organising a public procession.