As many regular readers of my blog already know, I am involved in the international legal support of the Singapore dissident Chee Soon Juan. Today he went on trial, and the following press release has been distributed to media. I urge everyone to support his important cause. Human Rights Goes on Trial in Singapore with Chee Soon Juan Case — NEW YORK, Oct. 23, 2008 – Today Singaporean opposition party leader Dr. Chee Soon Juan and others will stand trial for unlawful assembly charges which lawyers believe may result in punitive prison sentences. “This latest trial of Chee Soon Juan represents yet another showcase of fundamental human rights violations and constitutional manipulation that has become Singapore’s darkest secret,” said lawyer Robert Amsterdam, of Amsterdam & Peroff, who provides international legal assistance to Soon Juan. “After suffering so many arbitrary arrests and charges, it’s time for the world to stand up and staunchly defend this courageous man, who has made heroic personal sacrifices in the name of freedom and democracy.”