SINGAPORE, July 2 — Three women are on trial in the city-state after denying charges of organising a procession without a police permit around the Istana.

Mossammad Sobikun Nahar, 26; Siti Amirah Mohamed Asrori, 30; and Annamalai Kokila Parvathi, 36, each face one charge under the Public Order Act for allegedly leading a procession in a prohibited area on 2 February 2024.

Prosecutors said the event aimed to publicise support for Palestine and took place along the perimeter of the Istana, The Straits Times reported.

Investigation Officer Muhammad Faizal testified that he was assigned to investigate the event, named Letters for Palestine.

He presented CCTV footage showing around 70 people gathering at Plaza Singapura before walking towards the Istana with umbrellas painted with watermelon graphics.

The footage showed Sobikun leading the group along Orchard Road, Buyong Road and Cavenagh Road to the Istana’s rear gate.

At the rear gate, the group posed for photographs while displaying the watermelon umbrellas, with Amirah seen fanning out a stack of letters.

During cross-examination, defence lawyer Surian Sidambaram argued that the group believed they were acting lawfully based on similar past events.

The judge rejected the defence’s attempt to cite those events as precedent, saying a previous lack of enforcement did not justify breaking the law.