Thai man jailed for insulting monarchy
August 7, 2015
A Bangkok military court on Friday found Pongsak Sriboonpeng guilty of posting six messages and pictures that insulted the country's monarchy on Facebook.
He was sentenced to jail for 10 years on each count and the punishment was halved to 30 years after he pleaded guilty, his lawyer Sasinan Thamnithinan said.
Pongsak's sentence "broke the record," his lawyer explained, adding that her client was arrested when the country was still under martial law and did not have a right to appeal against the punishment passed by the military court. Military courts are used to prosecute defamation cases against the monarchy because the military government under Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha considers the matter to be one of national security.
"It is the longest sentence handed out for such a case," Poonsuk Poonsukcharoen of group Thai Lawyers for Human Rights told dpa news agency.
Cases increase after coup
Thailand's 87-year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej (pictured in posters above) is protected by one of the world's strongest anti-defamation laws. Anyone accused of insulting him, his queen or regent, could face 15 years of prison.
According to iLaw, a local rights group, there were only two ongoing prosecutions for lese majeste before the coup in 2014. Now that number has gone up to 56.
"The vaguely worded lese majeste law criminalizes the peaceful expression of opinions and violates the right to freedom of expression," Richard Bennett, Amnesty International's Asia-Pacific director said. The law's opponents have also pointed to a speech given by King Bhumibol in 2005, in which he said he should not be above criticism.
Critics have said the law is often used by the political elite to get even with those opposed to the coup. Earlier this week, a man with a history of mental illness was sentenced to five years in jail for lese majeste. On Thursday, 48-year-old Samak Pantay was given five years in prison for admitting to slashing a portrait of the king and the queen last year.
mg/sms (dpa, AFP)