Overview
- Singapore’s Home Affairs Ministry said Friday it refused entry to Fadiah Nadwa Fikri for political activism and for urging youths to adopt disruptive or violent tactics.
- Fikri says she tried to enter on March 22 to give a guest lecture and collect her NUS degree, and that immigration officers would not explain a notice saying she was ineligible for a pass.
- She is a Malaysian human rights lawyer and pro-Palestine advocate who completed a PhD at the National University of Singapore in 2025.
- Authorities stressed that Singapore requires police permits for protests, and recent cases tied to pro-Palestine marches in 2024 led to charges that a court later threw out.
- Immigration data show 45,700 foreigners were refused entry in 2025, up from 33,100 a year earlier, pointing to tighter screening that could deter foreign activists and visiting scholars.