British author Alan Shadrake was released on bail in Singapore today and his passport is being held over government worries about his new book, Once a Jolly Hangman: Singapore Justice in the Dock, which details the country's death penalty.

Shadrake was arrested Sunday on suspicion of criminal defamation while on a promotional tour for his book. The Singapore government's media development authority filed a complaint that lead to his arrest, because the book offers insight into the death penalty there, along with interviews with a former excutioner. He could face up to two years in prison if convicted.

[Guardian]