{"id":18098,"date":"2021-01-19T11:39:29","date_gmt":"2021-01-19T16:39:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/?p=18098"},"modified":"2021-01-19T11:39:29","modified_gmt":"2021-01-19T16:39:29","slug":"thai-woman-jailed-for-record-43-years-for-criticising-monarchy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/2021\/01\/19\/thai-woman-jailed-for-record-43-years-for-criticising-monarchy\/","title":{"rendered":"Thai woman jailed for record 43 years for criticising monarchy"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"css-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"css-83cqas-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<p><b class=\"css-14iz86j-BoldText e5tfeyi0\">A Thai woman has been jailed for 43 years for criticising the royal family, the country&#8217;s harshest ever sentence for insulting the monarchy.<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"css-83cqas-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<p>The former civil servant, known only as Anchan, posted audio clips from a podcast on social media.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"css-83cqas-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<p>The 63-year-old said she had simply shared the audio files and had not commented on the content.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"css-83cqas-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<p>Thailand&#8217;s l\u00e8se-majest\u00e9 law, which forbids any insult to the monarchy, is among the strictest in the world.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"css-83cqas-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<p>After a three-year break,\u00a0<a class=\"css-1xgj2ad-InlineLink e1no5rhv0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/world-asia-55062397\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Thailand revived the controversial law late last year<\/a>\u00a0in an attempt to curb months of anti-government protests, with demonstrators demanding changes to the monarchy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"unordered-list-block\">\n<div class=\"css-83cqas-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<div class=\"css-1pzprxn-BulletListContainer e5tfeyi3\">\n<ul role=\"list\">\n<li><a class=\"css-1xgj2ad-InlineLink e1no5rhv0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/world-asia-54542252\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">How pro-democracy movement gained momentum<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a class=\"css-1xgj2ad-InlineLink e1no5rhv0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/world-asia-53770939\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Risking it all to challenge the monarchy<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a class=\"css-1xgj2ad-InlineLink e1no5rhv0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/world-asia-38126928\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Profile: Thailand&#8217;s King Vajiralongkorn<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"css-83cqas-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<p>Anchan pleaded guilty to 29 separate violations of sharing and posting clips on YouTube and Facebook between 2014 and 2015, her lawyer told the Reuters news agency.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"css-83cqas-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<p>She was initially sentenced to 87 years, but this was cut in half because of her guilty plea.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"css-83cqas-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<p>Anchan is among a group of 14 people charged with l\u00e8se-majest\u00e9 shortly after a military junta seized power in 2014, vowing to stamp out criticism of the monarchy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"css-83cqas-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<p>The group is accused of uploading podcasts, popular in dissident circles, which questioned official accounts of the monarchy. The author of the podcasts served only two years in jail, and has already been released.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"css-83cqas-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<p>The trial was held behind closed doors and the evidence against the defendant kept secret for reasons of national security.<\/p>\n<div class=\"css-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"css-83cqas-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<p>Thailand has a long history of political unrest and protest, but a new wave began in February after a court ordered a fledgling pro-democracy opposition party to dissolve.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"css-83cqas-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<p>While protesters had a range of demands relating to the government, things really kicked off when protesters began questioning the powers of the monarchy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"css-83cqas-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<p>Protests included demands to curb recently expanded powers to the monarchy and challenged the king&#8217;s decision to declare Crown wealth as his personal property, making him by far the wealthiest person in Thailand. It had until now been notionally held in trust for the benefit of the people.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"css-83cqas-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<p>There have also been questions over King Vajiralongkorn&#8217;s decision to take personal command of all military units based in Bangkok &#8211; a concentration of military power in royal hands unprecedented in modern Thailand.<\/p>\n<div class=\"css-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"css-83cqas-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<p>The move sent shockwaves through a country where people are taught from birth to revere and love the monarchy and fear the consequences of talking about it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"css-83cqas-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<p>The definition of what constitutes an insult to the monarchy in Thailand is unclear and human rights groups say the l\u00e8se-majest\u00e9 law has often been used as a political tool to curb free speech and resist opposition calls for reform and change.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"css-83cqas-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<p>Royalists have come out to oppose the student-led demonstrations &#8211; and say the protesters want the abolition of the monarchy, something they deny.<\/p>\n<div class=\"css-18mjolk-ComponentWrapper e1xue1i80\" data-component=\"image-block\">\n<figure class=\"css-2y05cd-StyledFigure e34k3c20\">\n<div class=\"css-kwaqyc-StyledFigureContainer e34k3c22\"><span class=\"css-13t93ir-Placeholder e16icw910\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"css-evoj7m-Image ee0ct7c0\" src=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/1536\/cpsprodpb\/5CA1\/production\/_112831732__111166006_jonathanhead_tr-nc.png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/240\/cpsprodpb\/5CA1\/production\/_112831732__111166006_jonathanhead_tr-nc.png 240w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/320\/cpsprodpb\/5CA1\/production\/_112831732__111166006_jonathanhead_tr-nc.png 320w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/5CA1\/production\/_112831732__111166006_jonathanhead_tr-nc.png 480w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/624\/cpsprodpb\/5CA1\/production\/_112831732__111166006_jonathanhead_tr-nc.png 624w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/800\/cpsprodpb\/5CA1\/production\/_112831732__111166006_jonathanhead_tr-nc.png 800w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/976\/cpsprodpb\/5CA1\/production\/_112831732__111166006_jonathanhead_tr-nc.png 976w\" alt=\"Analysis box by Jonathan Head, BBC News\" width=\"1536\" height=\"306.11957796014065\" \/><\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"css-83cqas-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<p>That someone accused only of uploading these clips to social media should be given such a harsh sentence, so long after the original arrests, suggests the authorities want to send a warning to other dissidents to stop talking about the monarchy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"css-83cqas-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<p>During a wave of student-led protests last year there was open questioning of the wealth, the political role and personal life of King Vajiralongkorn on a scale never seen in Thailand before.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"css-83cqas-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<p>More than 40 mainly young activists have been charged with l\u00e8se-majest\u00e9 over the past few weeks, some multiple times.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"css-83cqas-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<p>Until the end of last year the law, which has been condemned by UN human rights officials as excessively severe, had been suspended for a three-year period, at the king&#8217;s request.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i83\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"css-83cqas-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi2\">\n<p>That leniency has clearly come to an end.<\/p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/world-asia-55723470\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">bbc.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\">A Thai woman has been jailed for 43 years for criticising the royal family, the country&#8217;s harshest ever sentence for insulting the monarchy. The former civil servant, known only as Anchan, posted audio clips from <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/2021\/01\/19\/thai-woman-jailed-for-record-43-years-for-criticising-monarchy\/\" title=\"Thai woman jailed for record 43 years for criticising monarchy\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18099,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[15,109,2,6],"tags":[335,138,1891,3154],"class_list":{"0":"post-18098","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-human-rights","8":"category-headline","9":"category-news","10":"category-world","11":"tag-facebook","12":"tag-human-rights","13":"tag-thailand","14":"tag-youtube","15":"pmpro-has-access"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18098","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18098"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18098\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18100,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18098\/revisions\/18100"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18099"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18098"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18098"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18098"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}