A THAI court sentenced a woman to 43 years and six months in prison today for sharing posts insulting the king on Facebook and Youtube.
The sentence is the longest ever issued for lese-majeste, the country’s draconian treason law that bans insulting the monarchy.
The woman, a retired civil servant identified only by her first name, Anchan, by Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, is in her mid-60s and could spend the rest of her life behind bars.
She was arrested in January 2015, a year before she was due to retire from a 40-year career, for sharing posts that attacked the monarchy following its support for the military coup that brought current Prime Minister Prayuth Chanocha to power in 2014.
Thailand: A Woman in Her Sixties Handed a 43-Year Sentence! Published January 19th, 2021 - 11:10 GMT
A woman protesting against section 112 of Thailand s penal code, which deals with lese majeste at Victory Monument in Bangkok on January 16 Jack TAYLOR AFP/File
Highlights
She admitted to 23 counts of violating the lese majeste law by sharing audio
A former civil servant has been given a record prison sentence of 43 years after admitting to having defamed the monarchy in Thailand.
On Tuesday, at the Bangkok Criminal Court, the woman, named Anchan, was sentenced for 29 counts of violating the country´s lese majeste law after sharing audio clips to Facebook and YouTube with comments deemed critical of the monarchy, the group Thai Lawyers for Human Rights said.
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A court in Thailand has sentenced a former civil servant to a record prison term of 43 years and six months for breaching the country s strict law on insulting or defaming the monarchy, officials say.
The Bangkok Criminal Court found the woman guilty on 29 counts of violating the country s lese majeste law for posting audio clips to Facebook and YouTube with comments deemed critical of the monarchy, the group Thai Lawyers for Human Rights said.
The sentence, which comes amid an ongoing protest movement that has seen unprecedented public criticism of the monarchy, was swiftly condemned by rights groups.
A court in Thailand on Tuesday sentenced a former civil servant to a record prison term of 43 years and six months for breaching the country s strict law on insulting or defaming the monarchy, lawyers said. The Bangkok Criminal Court found the woman guilty on 29 counts of violating the country s lese majeste law for posting audio clips to Facebook and YouTube with comments deemed critical of the monarchy, the group Thai Lawyers for Human Rights said. The sentence, which comes amid an ongoing protest movement that has seen unprecedented public criticism of the monarchy, was swiftly condemned by rights groups. Today s court verdict is shocking and sends a spine-chilling signal that not only criticisms of the monarchy won t be tolerated, but they will also be severely punished, said Sunai Phasuk, a senior researcher for the group Human Rights Watch.
A former civil servant has been given a record prison sentence of 43 years after admitting to having defamed the monarchy in Thailand.
On Tuesday, at the Bangkok Criminal Court, the woman, named Anchan, was sentenced for 29 counts of violating the country´s lese majeste law after sharing audio clips to Facebook and YouTube with comments deemed critical of the monarchy, the group Thai Lawyers for Human Rights said.
The majeste law, more commonly known as Article 112, which forbids people from criticising the Thai monarchy is punishable by three to 15 years imprisonment per count.
The woman, in her sixties, was handed 43 years and six months in prison - a sentence which had been reduced from 87 years after her guilty plea.