BANGKOK – The crime of the one-time civil servant was to share audio clips on social media that are considered critical of the monarchy of Thailand. The sentence, handed down by a criminal court in Bangkok on Tuesday, was more than 43 years in prison.
It was the longest sentence so far for violating Thailand’s infamous fair law, making it a crime, according to the group Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, to defame senior members of the royal family. The former civil servant, Anchan Preelert was sentenced to 87 years, but her prison sentence was reduced by half because she agreed to be guilty.
“Today’s court ruling is shocking and sends a backbone signal that not only will criticism of the monarchy be tolerated, but that it will also be severely punished,” said Sunai Phasuk, a senior researcher on Human Rights Watch. said.
Thailand has seen an increase in cases of reading majesty since the end of last year, after more than two years during which Article 112 of the criminal law, which applies to criticism of top royals, has not been applied, according to Thai law groups. The three-year hiatus is being ordered by King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun, who wants such prosecutions stopped, according to Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha.
But that was before a protest movement intensified last year, targeting both the king and the prime minister. Protesters, who gathered thousands of people in street rallies, called for the royal family, one of the richest in the world, to come under the protection of Thailand’s Constitution.
They investigated the finances of the palace as the lavish lifestyle of the king contrasted strongly with the economic pain caused by the pandemic. And they campaigned for the removal of Mr. Prayuth, a former army general who took power in a coup in 2014, pledged to protect the royal family from ill-defined threats.
Last fall, protesters scrambled graffiti in Bangkok’s streets, exposing King Maha Vajiralongkorn and his wives and paramours. It was a wonderful development in a country where criticism of the monarch was usually limited to whispers and insinuations, filled with much denial.
Dozens of Thais, including teenagers and students, have been accused of violating Article 112 in recent weeks. With mass students leading protest marches amid the outbreak of the coronavirus in Thailand, human rights groups say the government is using the courts to silence some people. of the protesters.
“It can be seen that Thai authorities use persecution of majesty of readers as their last resort in response to the democratic uprising led by the youth, which seeks to limit the power of the king and keep him within the bounds of constitutional rule. to keep, “said Mr. Sunai said. “Thai authorities are trying to use a sledgehammer to beat this genius in the bottle.”
Even before the Reading Majesty Act was revived in November, other legal mechanisms, including a computer crime law and a resurrection law, were deployed against people who insulted or insulted the greatest royals. An obscure portion of Thailand’s criminal law, which commits a violent act against the queen’s freedom that could be punished with life in prison, was first enforced against protesters shouting at a royal carriage.
Article 112 of the criminal law makes the insult or slander of the king or his next of kin an offense punishable by three to 15 years’ imprisonment. Each charge is counted separately, which partly explains why the imprisonment of Ms. Anchan is so tall.
The case against me. Anchan started before the government suspended their use of Article 112.
In 2015, the military junta led by then-General Prayuth detained more than a dozen people, including Ms. Anchan, who are accused of being part of an anti-monarchy network. They are accused of using social media to distribute audio and video recordings that are considered critical of the then king Bhumibol Adulyadej, the father of the current king, who was the longest reigning world in the world when he was in 2016 is dead.
Bhumibol, known as Rama IX, often converted to long prison sentences of majestic readiness. But it is not clear whether his son, who has sharpened the finances of the palace and expanded his military authority, will continue the tradition.
Although some of the people who worked with me. Anchan was charged, quickly sentenced to prison by a military court, delaying her case. Me. Anchan, who worked at the Thai revenue department for about 30 years, was jailed from 2015 to 2018, according to her legal team, while awaiting trial.
Pawinee Chumsri, one of Anchan’s lawyers, said they were planning an appeal. But me. Pawinee soon had little hope of a decline in such cases.
“The government has announced that it will introduce the Reading Majesty Act,” she said. “I think we will see more and more 112 cases and rulings, because that is the trend the government is going in.”
Muktita Suhartono reported.