Category : lèse majesté
Where insulting royalty will put you in jail
An editor was last month sentenced to 11 years in prison, for "defaming" the country's king.
Geoffrey Cain reports on how Thailand's lèse majesté laws have chilled free speech
Chiranuch Premchaiporn avoids jail term in Thai lèse majesté case
Chiranuch Premchaiporn, director of the news and current affairs website Prachatai, was today convicted by the Bangkok Criminal court and sentenced to a fine and a suspended eight month prison term. Her crime was to fail to act quickly enough to remove user comments that were defamatory of the monarchy. At the time that she […]
Thailand: Webmaster Chiranuch Premchaiporn sentenced in lèse majesté case
A Thai webmaster has been found guilty of not removing posts deemed insulting to the country’s monarchy quickly enough. The court showed leniency to Chiranuch Premchaiporn, who faced up to 20 years in prison under the country’s computer crime laws. She was fined 20,000 baht ($625), and given an eight month suspended sentence. Chiranuch was prosecuted after comments posted on her website Prachatai news […]
Thailand: “Uncle SMS” dies during 20-year jail term for insulting monarchy
A Thai man in his 60s who became known as “Uncle SMS” after he was convicted of defaming Thailand’s royal family in text messages has died while serving his 20-year prison term. Amphon Tangnoppakul, whose cause of death was unknown, was arrested in August 2010 and accused of sending four text messages to a government official that were […]
Thailand: Webmaster’s lese majeste verdict delayed
A verdict in the trial of a webmaster accused of failing to quickly remove online comments deemed insulting to Thailand’s royalty has been postponed. Judge Nittaya Yaemsri said more time was needed to process documents in the case of Chiranuch Premchaiporn, editor of news website Prachatai, with a new court date set for 30 May. Premchaiporn […]
Swaziland: Social media lese majeste law planned
Swaziland’s justice minister has told the country’s senate that the government is finalising a law that would make it illegal to criticise the King Mswati III on social media networks. “We will be tough on those who write bad things about the king on Twitter and Facebook,” Mgwagwa Gamedze said. Internet penetration is low in Swaziland, Africa’s last absolute monarchy, […]
Thailand: Student faces prison for speaking out
A 20 year old student faces 15 years in prison for “having opinions” after she posted a message on Facebook in Thailand. Police began investigating Kanthoop under Thailand’s strict lèse majesté laws in 2010 after she posted criticisms of the Thai monarchy on her Facebook wall, and allegedly distorted versions of the post were forwarded to authorities by email. […]
Thailand: Webmaster’s lèse majesté trial resumes
The trial of the web master of a Thai news website resumed last week after a long interruption.Chiranuch Premchaiporn, web master of Prachatai news website, faces a possible 20 year prison sentence for not removing certain user comments from her website quickly enough. The resumed case, which was delayed from October 2011 due to the severe flooding in Bangkok, […]
Thai royalists demonstrate against US remarks on lese majeste
A crowd of 200 royalists staged a protest at the United States Embassy in Bangkok on 16 December, accusing it of interfering in domestic affairs. Protesters criticised Ambassador Kristie Kennie for her comments on recent lese majeste prosecutions, including that of of Joe Gordon, a Thailand-born US citizen. “We call on the US embassy and Ambassador […]
Thailand: Political activist gets 15 years jail under lèse-majesté
Despite mounting public criticism on lèse-majesté, Thailand’s Criminal Court sentenced Red shirt activist Daranee Charncherngsilapakul, widely known as “Da Torpedo”, to 15 years in jail for three offences after rejecting her appeal. She was formerly convicted to 18 years in jail in a closed trial in August 2009, after spending more than a year in […]
Thailand : UN joins lèse majesté fight
The United Nations have joined human rights groups in calling for reform of Thailand’s notoriously harsh Lèse Majesté laws. The calls urging the Thai authorities to reform the harsh laws relating to insulting the monarchy follow the recent imprisonment of 61-year old grandfather Ampon Tangnoppakul. Navi Pillay, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights suggested that: “Guidelines should […]
