© 2024 Peoria Public Radio
A joint service of Bradley University and Illinois State University
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Teen Blogger Seeking US Asylum Fears Return to Singapore

A Singapore teenager awaiting a Chicago immigration judge's ruling on his asylum request says he's fearful of returning home after scathing blog posts criticizing his government landed him in a Singapore jail.  Amos Yee says he fears the Singapore government will target him if his asylum application is denied. However, the 18-year-old says he'll keep speaking out whether or not he's allowed to stay in the U.S.

Yee has been detained since mid-December, when he was taken into custody at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago.  His closed-door asylum hearing happened earlier this week. An immigration judge will decide later this month.

Yee's case, which raises questions about free speech and censorship in Singapore, has been closely watched abroad.

The Associated Press is one of the largest and most trusted sources of independent newsgathering, supplying a steady stream of news to its members, international subscribers and commercial customers. AP is neither privately owned nor government-funded; instead, it's a not-for-profit news cooperative owned by its American newspaper and broadcast members.