Thailand: Record-breaking lèse-majesté sentence highlights need for legal reform
The conviction and sentencing of a 65-year-old woman said to have insulted the Thai monarchy is a shocking attack on human rights, said ARTICLE 19. The Thai government should reverse course and end a recent surge in the use of Thailand’s draconian
lèse-majesté provision to target peaceful protesters and those expressing critical opinions.
On 19 January, the Bangkok Criminal Court convicted Anchan Preelert, a retired civil servant, to 87 years’ imprisonment under Thailand’s draconian
lèse-majesté provision, codified in Section 112 of the Thai Criminal Code. The provision provides for up to 15 years’ imprisonment for each offence. Anchan was accused of re-posting 29 video clips and posts concerning the monarchy on YouTube and Facebook. The Court reduced the sentence to 43-and-a-half years after she acknowledged her guilt.
January 20, 2021 10:23:41 am
The Bangkok Criminal Court on Tuesday sentenced a Thai woman to more than 43 years in prison for insulting the monarchy.
The woman, Anchan Preelert, is a former member of the Banpodj Network, a group accused by the Thai government of being an “anti-monarchy network” due to the content of their videos uploaded to Facebook and YouTube. Preelert was arrested in 2015 along with numerous other members of the Banpodj Network for violation of Thailand’s strict
lèse-majesté laws.
Thailand has a history of charging individuals accused of insulting the monarchy under Section 112 of the Thailand Criminal Code, which is among the Thai laws governing offenses against the king and royal family. Section 112 states that “whoever defames, insults, or threatens the King, the Queen, the Heir-apparent or the Regent, shall be punished with imprisonment of three to fifteen years.”
By Chris and Rosie
A Thai court
has sentenced a former civil servant to a record 43 1/2 years in prison for breaching the country s strict law on insulting or defaming the king. The Bangkok Criminal Court found the woman guilty on 29 counts for posting audio clips to Facebook and YouTube with comments deemed critical of the monarchy. The court initially announced her sentence as 87 years but reduced it by half because she pleaded guilty to the offenses. Violating Thailand s Article 112 law is punishable by three to 15 years imprisonment per count. The woman sentenced is in her mid-60s so it is essentially a life sentence for her.