SINGAPORE: When Siti Amirah, who goes by Camira Asrori on social media, emailed her Member of Parliament, Rahayu Mahzam, urging the government to act against what she described as genocide in Palestine, she received no response.
This silence motivated Camira to find another way to make her voice heard.
Speaking in court on 7 July 2025, the fifth day of her trial, Camira explained why she decided to organise ‘Letters for Palestine’.
She believed that hand-delivering letters would have a stronger impact than sending emails that might be ignored.
According to Camira, her intention was to gather as many people as possible to write personal appeals and deliver them straight to the Prime Minister’s Office.
She hoped that this visible effort would compel the government to pay attention and take action regarding the humanitarian crisis in Palestine.
Camira, 29, is currently on trial with two others — Mossammad Sobikun Nahar, 26, and Annamalai Kokila Parvathi, 36 — facing charges under the Public Order Act.
The three women stand accused of organising an assembly or procession without a permit on 2 February 2024.
The alleged incident took place along the perimeter of the Istana, which is classified as a prohibited area under the Act.
Next hearing set for 16 September for closing submissions
Presided over by District Judge John Ng, the trial began on 1 July and concluded on 8 July, lasting six days.
Each of the three accused allegedly helped organise a procession near the Istana between 2pm and 3pm on 2 February 2024.
All three took the stand on 7 July to explain their actions and intentions.
During proceedings, it emerged that about 70 people gathered outside Plaza Singapura before walking to the Istana.
They intended to deliver letters addressed to the Prime Minister’s Office in support of the Palestinian cause.
Students for Palestine, an advocacy group, has documented the case on social media.
The court will reconvene on 16 September at 10.30am for closing submissions and clarifications.
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Umbrellas and watermelon symbols debated in court
Camira testified that she brought umbrellas on the day in case of rain, as it had been drizzling.
She said that previous events had used watermelon motifs, which she saw as harmless.
During cross-examination, Camira disagreed that the watermelon umbrellas deliberately publicised the Palestinian cause.
She told the Prosecution that at that time, the watermelon symbol was not widely known.
When asked if the umbrellas could make onlookers curious enough to seek more information online, she declined to comment.
Camira recounted how the police at the Istana provided a bag for the letters and even helped participants cross the road safely to deliver them to the mail room.
One officer smiled at her, leading Camira to believe that what they were doing was lawful.
Earlier, on 3 July, a commanding officer from the Istana Security Unit gave evidence under cross-examination.
He confirmed that the event was peaceful and cooperative, so no intervention was deemed necessary.
Although he had the authority to disperse the crowd or make arrests, he chose not to do so.
Prosecution questions the need for group delivery
The Prosecution challenged why it was necessary for all participants to walk together to deliver the letters.
They suggested that Camira and Sobi could have simply given directions to individuals to deliver their letters separately.
Camira explained that some participants were unfamiliar with the area and had already reported getting lost.
She stressed that the collective walk was not intended as a procession to promote the cause, but simply to ensure letters reached the Prime Minister’s Office.
The Prosecution asked whether Camira had checked if a permit was needed for the event.
Camira responded that when police advised the organisers of Steadfast for Palestine, a separate event planned for the same day, they mentioned being aware of Letters for Palestine but did not state that a permit was necessary.
Steadfast for Palestine, which had included speeches and booths, was cancelled and replaced with a private gathering following a police advisory.
Camira believed that because the letter delivery plans were public, the authorities would have warned or stopped them if it had been illegal.
Koki explains her limited involvement and prior letter deliveries
Annamalai Kokila Parvathi, known as Koki, was the first of the three women to testify.
She told the court that she had previously organised letter deliveries to the Istana for causes such as advocating for prisoners on death row.
These earlier efforts had faced no issues from the police.
She was aware of another letter delivery for Palestine on 11 January that also proceeded without incident.
Although the Defence called a witness to testify about that earlier event, the judge ruled the testimony immaterial to the current case.
Koki testified that she learned of Letters for Palestine about two weeks before it took place.
She advised her friend Sobi to ensure there were no placards, slogans, or symbols used, and that only people with letters should participate.
She told the court she did not help publicise the event or gather people to join.
Her decision to attend was spontaneous, to offer moral support to Sobi and ensure there would be no trouble.
Koki left the group before they reached the Istana, choosing to run errands at Plaza Singapura instead.
Koki: “Watermelons are not a threat”
On the question of symbolism, Koki explained that she did not think the watermelon umbrellas would be an issue.
She noted that other pro-Palestinian events had used the same symbol without any police action.
In her initial police interview, Koki had stated: “Watermelons are not a threat.”
She told the court she found it remarkable that an investigation was launched over the symbol while the crisis in Palestine remained unresolved.
She wanted to highlight that watermelons were harmless compared to real weapons and violence.
The Prosecution confirmed during Koki’s cross-examination that the watermelon is not a prohibited foreign national emblem.
Koki testified that she understood symbols to mean recognised national flags or emblems that might alarm the public.
She said that at the time — just three months after 7 October — many people were only beginning to learn about Palestine’s history.
Therefore, the watermelon image was not widely recognised as a symbol of the cause.
She maintained that the umbrellas also served a practical purpose because it was drizzling on the day.
When asked why she was present, Koki said she attended mainly to provide moral support for her friend Sobi.
She denied that her actions amounted to organising the event.
She said Sobi was fully capable of managing the event and that her own role was to ensure participants had letters and were prepared.
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