Amos Yee
Born 1998 · Age 28
Singaporean YouTuber, blogger and former child actor who became internationally known after critical videos about Lee Kuan Yew; convicted in Singapore for obscenity and wounding religious feelings; later granted US asylum (2017); subsequently convicted in the US (2021) of child grooming/child pornography and sentenced to six years.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in Singapore
Amos Yee Pang Sang born to Mary Toh Ai Buay (math teacher) and Alphonsus Yee (computer engineer).
Began primary education (Pei Chun Public School)
Attended Pei Chun Public School (estimate: typical Singapore primary start).
Completed Primary School Leaving Examination (approx.)
Likely sat PSLE before entering secondary school (typical Singapore timeline).
Won Best Short Film & Best Actor at The New Paper's FFF for 'Jan'
Self-written short film 'Jan' won Best Short Film and Best Actor; Yee (teen) made film in his bedroom; prize included a Sony Handycam and editing software.
Offered internship and cast in Jack Neo's film 'We Not Naughty'
Jack Neo offered Yee an internship and cast him in a small but notable role; allowed to write some of his own dialogue.
Began regularly uploading YouTube videos
Started making videos aimed at Singaporean and international youth on topics like CNY, homosexuality ban, films, and teenage life.
Controversial Chinese New Year video (satire)
Uploaded a satirical video mocking aspects of Chinese New Year origins; garnered over 150,000 views and public criticism.
Renounced Catholic faith / stopped serving as altar boy
After questioning confirmation and exposure to atheist content, Yee left the Church; his altar-boy service ended in 2013.
Death of Lee Kuan Yew (context)
Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's founding Prime Minister, died; event precipitated Yee's subsequent viral video.
Uploaded 'Lee Kuan Yew is Finally Dead!' video
Posted a nearly nine-minute video strongly criticising Lee Kuan Yew and Christianity; video went viral (later >880k–1M views).
Arrested by Singapore Police
Arrested and held on charges of wounding religious feelings, obscenity, and insulting/harassing communication after many police reports.
Three charges read in State Courts
Charged under Section 298 (wounding religious feelings), Section 292 (obscenity) and a POHA provision (later withdrawn); bail S$20,000.
Breached bail by soliciting donations
Posted online asking for public donations to fund legal fees, violating bail conditions and linking to the offending content.
Remanded at Changi Prison (17–21 April)
Remanded for lack of bail being posted; later bailed out by Vincent Law on 21 April.
Bailed by Vincent Law
Family/youth counsellor Vincent Law posted bail; three lawyers volunteered to represent Yee pro bono.
Slapped en route to court
Neo Gim Huah slapped Yee in public on 30 April; Neo was arrested and later jailed for three weeks.
Found guilty on two charges
District Judge Jasvender Kaur found Yee guilty of wounding religious feelings and obscenity (12 May).
False molestation allegation against bailor
Yee falsely claimed on Facebook that his bailor, Vincent Law, had molested him; later retracted and apologised, then retracted again.
Re-uploaded removed content
After conviction the court ordered removal of the offending video and post; Yee complied then made them public again on 21 May.
International criticism and rights organisations response
Amnesty International declared him a prisoner of conscience and called the sentence a 'dark day'; UN OHCHR and Human Rights Watch criticised the treatment and called for release/leniency.
Remanded for reformative training assessment
Remanded for three weeks for a suitability report after refusing probation and preferring a jail term.
Assessed at Institute of Mental Health
Ordered remand at IMH for two weeks amid questions of autism spectrum disorder; assessed as not having a mental disorder.
Taipei protest for 'Free Amos Yee'
About 60 protesters under Taiwan Association for Human Rights demonstrated outside Singapore Trade Office calling for Yee's release.
Hong Kong university students protest
Students held protest urging the Singapore government to release Yee, citing free speech concerns.
Filed appeal against conviction and sentence
Yee filed an appeal (deadline 20 July 2015) to challenge the conviction and sentence in the High Court.
Hospitalised for low blood sugar
Admitted to Changi General Hospital for low blood sugar and reported suicidal thoughts linked to prospect of reformative training.
Hong Kong & Singapore demonstrations
Hong Kong protest burned effigies of Lee Hsien Loong and Lee Kuan Yew; Singapore rally organised by Community Action Network attended by ~500 demanded Yee's release.
Sentenced to four weeks' jail (backdated) and released
Judge sentenced Yee to a 4-week term (one week for obscenity, three for wounding religious feelings) backdated to 2 June; released immediately after (50 days remand counted).
Second arrest (May 2016) for further online content and probation failure
Arrested for allegedly posting content intended to wound religious feelings and for failing to report to police as required by probation; later released on bail.
Stood trial over multiple charges (Aug 17, 2016)
Faced six charges for deliberate intent to wound religious feelings and two charges for failing to attend police interviews; later entered Criminal Case Resolution.
Sentenced to six weeks' jail and fined S$2,000
On 29 September 2016, Yee was sentenced for wounding religious feelings; judge commented content targeted Christians and Muslims.
Began serving jail term (Oct 13, 2016)
Commenced the six-week sentence given in Sept 2016.
Detained in US county jails (McHenry, Dodge)
Held in McHenry County Jail (IL) then Dodge County Detention (WI) during asylum proceedings.
Fled to the United States seeking asylum
Departed Singapore with assistance (Melissa Chen) and upon arrival at O'Hare declared intention to seek asylum; detained by US Customs and Border Protection.
Granted political asylum in the United States
Immigration judge Samuel B. Cole granted asylum on 24 March 2017, finding Yee faced persecution in Singapore for political opinions.
U.S. government appealed asylum judgement
The U.S. government appealed the asylum grant, prolonging Yee's detention at ICE; case continued.
Released from ICE facility after Board upheld asylum
Board of Immigration Appeals upheld his asylum bid, and Yee was released from ICE detention on 26 September 2017.
Published pro-paedophilia YouTube videos (Nov 2017)
Uploaded controversial videos defending pedophilia (e.g., 'Why Pedophilia Is Alright'), provoking backlash and death threats.
Advertisers pull ads; YouTube demonetises channel
April 2018: Brands pulled ads after CNN reported they ran on Yee's videos; YouTube removed ads and banned monetisation.
YouTube terminated Yee's channel (May 2018)
YouTube removed his channel for violating community guidelines related to sexual content and solicitation of minors.
Patreon account shut down (July 2018)
Patreon removed his account amid policy enforcement on sexual content and minors.
WordPress, Facebook and Twitter accounts disabled (Dec 2018)
Multiple social accounts and blog were shut down for continued pro-paedophilia postings.
Resurfaced publicly after hiatus (Sept 2019)
Gave interview stating he had been producing pro-paedophilia videos during a 9-month internet hiatus.
Claimed diagnosis of narcissistic personality disorder (Aug 2020)
While in immigrant detention, he claimed NPD diagnosis and said he planned to rebrand as 'Polocle'.
Bail set at US$1,000,000 and internet ban
State charges led to bail being set at $1,000,000; he was banned from internet use while awaiting trial.
Arrested by U.S. Marshals (Oct 16, 2020)
Arrested at his Chicago apartment on state charges of solicitation, possession of child pornography, and child grooming relating to messages with a 14-year-old (Feb–Jun 2019).
Sentence backdated; projected release date recorded
Sentence was backdated to date of arrest; projected release date reported as 8 October 2026.
Plea bargain and sentenced to six years (late 2021)
Accepted plea bargain, pled guilty to two charges (child grooming and child pornography), sentenced to 6 years; 16 other charges dismissed; warned of deportation/denial of naturalisation.
Released on parole (Oct 7, 2023)
Released on parole and moved into shared housing with other sex offenders.
Blog post reiterating support for paedophilia (Oct 23, 2023)
Posted online reiterating support for paedophilia, described prison/parole experiences and plans to reoffend and return to Singapore.
Second blog post discussing plans to popularise defense of paedophiles (Nov 5, 2023)
Posted intention to promote pro-paedophilia defense and illegal public protests; raised concerns about parole compliance.
Re-arrested for parole violation and transferred to max security (Nov 8, 2023)
Reported re-arrest for violating parole conditions; transferred to Stateville Correctional Center (maximum security).
Transferred to Danville Correctional Center (Dec 12, 2023)
Moved from Stateville (max security) to Danville Correctional Center (medium security).
Projected/parole release date and immediate readmission (Nov 7, 2025)
Reported projected parole date of 7 Nov 2025; was readmitted to prison the same day for parole violation according to reports.
Faced deportation proceedings after parole release (Nov 20, 2025)
Reports indicated he faced deportation to Singapore after parole release from Danville Correctional Center.
Released under early parole (Nov 21, 2025)
Reportedly released under early parole on 21 November 2025 (per summary timeline).
Detained in ICE facility; Singapore MOE/Ministry of Defence action announced
As of 24 November 2025, being detained in an ICE facility; Singapore announced he would be charged under the Enlistment Act for defaulting military service upon return.
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