[International] Thai Man Sentenced to 18 Months for Facebook Group Comments on Monarchy
bella@@ 央廣 新聞2d ago
A human rights group said on Thursday (19th) that a man was sentenced to 18 months in prison by a court after being accused of defaming the monarchy for comments made in a Facebook group discussing the monarchy.
Thailand's strict lese-majeste law protects the monarchy from criticism, with each offense carrying a maximum penalty of up to 15 years in prison. Critics say the punishment is used to suppress dissent.
In the latest case, the criminal court sentenced a 43-year-old man to 18 months in prison for a comment he made in a private Facebook group called "Royalist Marketplace." The group has over 2.2 million members.
The group was founded by exiled royal critic and academic Pavin Chachavalpongpun as a forum for discussing the monarchy, an unprecedented development in Thai society.
Noppol Achamas, an information officer for Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR), told Agence France-Presse: "The court initially sentenced him to 3 years, but because he pleaded guilty, the sentence was halved."
Noppol said the man's name was not disclosed to protect his privacy. He was granted bail of 100,000 Thai baht (approximately $3,043) pending appeal.
The Facebook group became active following youth-led protests in 2020-2021. At the time, demonstrators called for reforms to the monarchy and amendments to the lese-majeste law.
However, the movement later lost momentum as many activists faced lese-majeste and other criminal charges.
According to data from Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, a total of 291 people have been prosecuted for insulting the monarchy since 2020.
At least 17 people have been prosecuted for comments made in the "Royalist Marketplace" Facebook group. (Editor: Chen Wen-wei)
Source Link: https://www.rti.org.tw/news?uid=3&pid=215503
How does this article make you feel?
0 people reacted