Bangkok (dpa) – A Thai court of Tuesday sentenced a political activist to seven and a half years in jail for violating the country's lese-majesty law. The Bangkok Criminal Court initially sentenced Surachai Danwattananusorn, 71, Tuesday to 15 years in jail for insulting the king and queen on three occasions in 2010 but then reduced it because he pleaded guilty. “Surachai intentionally insulted the king and queen, who are beloved by the people,” the court said in its verdict. The panel of three judges said his status as a former member of Parliament meant that he was well aware of the legal consequences. The criminal code makes it illegal to defame, insult or threaten King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Queen Sirikit, the king's heir apparent or regent, punishable by up to 15 years in jail. The country has had a constitutional monarchy since 1932. Surachai is a leader of the Red Siam movement, a leftist faction within the broader Red Shirt movement. The Red Shirts organized protests against the government of former prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva in 2009 and 2010, which led to unusually open criticism of the monarchy. There has been a exponential increase in lese-majesty cases since the protests, most based on public speeches made by activists. New York-based Human Rights Watch criticized Thai courts for denying bail in such cases. “Bail appears to be systematically denied to members of the Red Shirts while they await trial for lese-majesty,” said Brad Adams, Asia director for the human rights group. “Denial of bail seems to be for punishment rather than for justified reasons.” Surachai, who was jailed in the 1970s for involvement in a communist movement, had been denied bail five times in the lese-majesty case. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/9NtOf Tags: Sentence, Surachai Danwattananusorn, Thailand, Trial Section: East Asia, Human Rights, Latest News
