Human rights defender Ms Chee Siok Chin was imprisoned for one week for having distributed flyers, without a permit, outside Raffles City shopping center in September 2006. Chee Siok Chin is the Executive Director of the Alliance for Reform and Democracy in Asia (ARDA). She was released on 9 January 2010.

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In December 2009, Chee Siok Chin, Mr Gandhi Ambalam and Dr Chee Soon Juan were convicted on charges of unlawfully distributing flyers in public and sentenced to the maximum fine of $1000, or a one-week jail term. All three have appealed the conviction.

Allegedly a permit for such an activity was required because five or more persons were involved in the activity and because the police insist that the flyers were critical of government policies. The flyers called for people to attend an “Empower Singaporeans Rally and March” and posed the following question: "Tired of being a voiceless 2nd class citizen in your own country without any rights? Sick of the Ministers paying themselves millions of dollars while they tell you to keep making sacrifices for Singapore?" Chee Siok Chin decided to serve the prison sentence prior to appealing and was released on 9 January 2010.

Chee Siok Chin is also being tried before District Judge Toh Yung Cheong on a separate charge of "attempting to take part in a procession" during the World Bank WB)-International Monetary Fund (IMF) meeting in 2006.

Furthermore, in 2007, Chee Siok Chin was made bankrupt following her participation in a silent protest outside the Central Provident Fund Building in which she called for more transparency in the way the Government manages Singapore's social security. She was subsequently sued by the Prime Minister and his father for defamation and imprisoned for 10 days. Since then, she has been subject to a de facto travel ban. She is also currently facing six criminal charges in relation to her human rights activities.

Front Line believes that the conviction and detention of Chee Siok Chin is directly related to her legitimate and peaceful work in the defence of human rights, in particular her work in promotion of the rights to freedom of expression and association. Front Line is concerned for the physical and psychological integrity of Chee Siok Chin.