20 January 2016•Update: 20 January 2016
By Max Constant
BANGKOK
A Thai court sentenced a man to six years in prison Wednesday after finding him guilty of defaming the country’s revered king by posting several pictures of the monarch with “derogatory captions” on Facebook.
The Bangkok criminal court initially handed Piya Jullakittiphan a nine-year sentence that was reduced by judges since he provided information “useful” for the trial, local media reported.
After the verdict, the defendant said that he would consider lodging an appeal.
Prosecutors accused Jullakittiphan of posting self-captioned pictures from July-Nov. 2013 on Facebook under the name of Pongsathorn Banthorn, and judges considered their witnesses’ information identifying Jullakittiphan as the real owner to be convincing.
The defendant consistently denied that the incriminated Facebook page was his own, although its profile picture matched that on his Twitter account.
Thailand has some of the harshest lese-majeste laws in the world, under which those accused of defaming the king, the queen, the heir apparent or the regent – who the ruling junta view as above politics – face three to 15 years in prison.
In the last decade, the law has been interpreted widely by judges who have sentenced people for criticizing kings who reigned centuries ago, or even for defaming the late dog of the current King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
Many critics consider the law to be anachronistic and mostly used by authorities to stifle political enemies.
In Aug. 2015, Phongsak Sriboonpen, a 48-year-old farmer, was sentenced to 30 years in jail for six Facebook posts considered to defame the king – the heaviest sentence ever under the lese-majeste law.
According to law, an independent Thai human rights organization, at least 54 persons have been arrested or had arrest warrants issued against them for lese-majeste since the military overthrew an elected government and seized power on May 22, 2014.
Concerns about reverence for the monarchy have been heightened as the 88-year-old Thai king, the world’s longest reigning monarch, has spent much of the last six years at a Bangkok hospital and has suffered repeated lung infections.
