8 May 2012 | Asia and Pacific, Index Index, minipost
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 deemed offensive to the queen. He denied sending them, claiming he did not know how to do so. He was convicted of defaming the Thai monarchy last November.
1 May 2012 | Europe and Central Asia, Index Index, minipost
A Montenegro court has jailed a journalist for four months for libel. Journalist Petar Komnenic was convicted in February 2011 over a 2007 report in Montenegrin weekly news magazine Monitor, which alleged that the state had illegally placed several senior judges under surveillance. He was ordered to pay a fine of 3,000 Euros (2,450 GBP) or serve four months in jail. Komnenic refused to pay and appealed to a higher court, which ruled he should do community service instead. But on 18 April a magistrate in the capital Podgorica reinstated the prison sentence.
30 Apr 2012 | Asia and Pacific, Digital Freedom, Index Index, minipost
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 faces up to 20 years in jail for comments posted on the site by users. She is being tried under Thailand’s computer-crime laws, which address hacking and other online offences, but also prohibit the circulation of material deemed detrimental to national security, including defaming the monarchy.
27 Apr 2012 | Asia and Pacific, Index Index, minipost
Well-known Malaysian columnist R Nadeswaran has been ordered to pay 500,000 MYR (£101,193) in damages for comments made on Twitter about a property developer. Nadeswaran allegedly tweeted insults about businessman Mohamed Salim Fateh Din on 12 July and 22 December 2010. The columnist is the first person to be charged with defamation for comments made on Twitter. Nadeswaran told The Sun Daily that he plans to appeal.
