Latest news with #ThaiLawyersforHumanRightsCentre
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
American lecturer arrested in Thailand and accused of insulting the monarchy in months-old online post
An American academic has been arrested in Thailand and charged with insulting the monarchy under the country's strict treason laws. Paul Chambers, a prominent lecturer at Thailand's Naresuan University, turned himself in to police in the northern province of Phitsanulok on Tuesday, after a warrant for his arrest was issued last week. The warrant followed a complaint filed by the army, which accused Chambers of violating Section 112 of Thailand's penal code, in a written introduction to an article in October 2024. That law states that anyone found guilty of defaming, insulting or threatening the king, queen, heir apparent or regent shall be punished with imprisonment of three to 15 years. According to Akarachai Chaimaneekarakate, advocacy lead for the Thai Lawyers for Human Rights Centre and part of Chambers' legal team, Chambers has been accused of publishing a blurb on Singapore's Institute of Southeast Asian Studies website in connection with an webinar in October 2024 about military changes. 'He denied all charges. He neither wrote nor published the blurb on the website,' the advocate said. Alongside lese majeste, the crime of insulting a monarch or other ruler, Chambers is also facing charges under Thailand's Computer Crimes Act. On Tuesday, the center said that Chambers had been denied bail twice, forcing him to be put behind bars immediately, but that his lawyers were appealing. Chambers holds a PhD in political science from Northern Illinois University, and is well-known in academic circles as a commentator on civil-military relations and democracy in Asia, with a special focus on Thailand. He has lived in Thailand since 1993. Many of his articles appear on the center's website. Thai royalists consider the monarchy sacrosanct, and public discussion of the law has for decades been a taboo issue, with dozens of people jailed for perceived insults of the crown. Student-led, anti-government protests in 2020 called for the abolition of the law, but resulted in 279 people being charged with lese-majeste in the years since. Foreigners are rarely prosecuted, however. According to Reuters, the U.S. State Department said it was aware and concerned about the arrest of an American citizen. "We regularly urge Thai authorities, both privately and publicly, to protect freedom of expression in accordance with Thailand's international obligations," a spokesperson said. Reuters contributed to this report.
The Independent
08-04-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
American lecturer arrested in Thailand and accused of insulting the monarchy in months-old online post
An American academic has been arrested in Thailand and charged with insulting the monarchy under the country's strict treason laws. Paul Chambers, a prominent lecturer at Thailand's Naresuan University, turned himself in to police in the northern province of Phitsanulok on Tuesday, after a warrant for his arrest was issued last week. The warrant followed a complaint filed by the army, which accused Chambers of violating Section 112 of Thailand's penal code, in a written introduction to an article in October 2024. That law states that anyone found guilty of defaming, insulting or threatening the king, queen, heir apparent or regent shall be punished with imprisonment of three to 15 years. According to Akarachai Chaimaneekarakate, advocacy lead for the Thai Lawyers for Human Rights Centre and part of Chambers' legal team, Chambers has been accused of publishing a blurb on Singapore's Institute of Southeast Asian Studies website in connection with an webinar in October 2024 about military changes. 'He denied all charges. He neither wrote nor published the blurb on the website,' the advocate said. Alongside lese majeste, the crime of insulting a monarch or other ruler, Chambers is also facing charges under Thailand's Computer Crimes Act. On Tuesday, the center said that Chambers had been denied bail twice, forcing him to be put behind bars immediately, but that his lawyers were appealing. Chambers holds a PhD in political science from Northern Illinois University, and is well-known in academic circles as a commentator on civil-military relations and democracy in Asia, with a special focus on Thailand. He has lived in Thailand since 1993. Many of his articles appear on the center's website. Thai royalists consider the monarchy sacrosanct, and public discussion of the law has for decades been a taboo issue, with dozens of people jailed for perceived insults of the crown. Student-led, anti-government protests in 2020 called for the abolition of the law, but resulted in 279 people being charged with lese-majeste in the years since. Foreigners are rarely prosecuted, however. According to Reuters, the U.S. State Department said it was aware and concerned about the arrest of an American citizen. "We regularly urge Thai authorities, both privately and publicly, to protect freedom of expression in accordance with Thailand's international obligations," a spokesperson said.
Saudi Gazette
04-04-2025
- Politics
- Saudi Gazette
Thai arrest warrant issued for US academic under ban on insulting royalty
BANGKOK — A Thai court has issued an arrest warrant for an American academic under Thailand's lese-majeste law that forbids insulting the monarchy. The army filed a complaint against Paul Chambers, a lecturer at Naresuan University in central Thailand, under lese-majeste and computer crime laws, according to his legal representation. Chambers and his lawyer are due to report to police on Tuesday, where charges are expected to be filed. Akarachai Chaimaneekarakate, advocacy lead for the Thai Lawyers for Human Rights Center representing Chambers, told the BBC he did not know the reason for the complaint. If convicted, Chambers could face three to 15 years in prison for each lese-majeste count. The BBC has contacted Royal Thai Police for comment. It is rarer for the lese-majeste law to be used against foreigners, but it has happened before, Akarachai said. The army filed the complaint against Chambers for "defamation, contempt or malice" towards the royal family, "importing false computer data" in a way "likely to damage national security or cause public panic", and disseminating computer data "that may affect national security", according to a letter from police received by the university's social sciences faculty on Friday, his legal representation said. The court had already issued the arrest warrant on Monday, Thai Lawyers for Human Rights Centre added. If charges are filed against Chambers next Tuesday, police could release him on bail or detain him, in which case his lawyer would apply for bail. Police will then investigate and if they believe he did commit the offense, pass a case along to prosecutors, who will decide whether to indict him. According to his LinkedIn page, Chambers first lived and worked in Thailand 30 years ago, and has spent years since then lecturing and researching in the country, including writing books on its military. He has not received a subpoena before, his legal representation said. Thailand's lese-majeste law has been in place since the creation of the country's first criminal code in 1908, although the penalty was toughened in 1976. The government says the law is necessary to protect the monarchy. Critics say the law is used to clamp down on free speech. Mr Akarachai told the BBC lese-majeste has been used more since student-led pro-democracy protests, which also targeted the monarchy, swept the country in 2020. After months of protests, Thailand revived the lese-majeste law for the first time in more than two years. Since late 2020, Thai Lawyers for Human Rights Centre has seen more than 300 cases of lese-majeste involving more than 270 people, including 20 children under the age of 18, Akarachai said. "When people take to the streets to demand monarchy reforms, they face the risk of political prosecution. Now, when academics write or discuss about those issues in academic settings, it seems they also face the same risk of political prosecution," he said. Last year, a reformist political party was dissolved by court order after the court ruled the party's campaign promise to change lese-majeste was unconstitutional. The European Parliament called on Thailand last month to reform the law, which it said was "among the strictest in the world", and grant amnesty to those prosecuted and imprisoned under it. On Wednesday, Thai parliament is set to discuss the issue of amnesty bills, Akarachai said. — BBC
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Thai arrest warrant issued for US academic under ban on insulting royalty
A Thai court has issued an arrest warrant for an American academic under Thailand's lese-majeste law that forbids insulting the monarchy. The army filed a complaint against Paul Chambers, a lecturer at Naresuan University in central Thailand, under lese-majeste and computer crime laws, according to his legal representation. Mr Chambers and his lawyer are due to report to police on Tuesday, where charges are expected to be filed. Akarachai Chaimaneekarakate, advocacy lead for the Thai Lawyers for Human Rights Centre representing Mr Chambers, told the BBC he did not know the reason for the complaint. If convicted, Mr Chambers could face three to 15 years in prison for each lese-majeste count. The BBC has contacted Royal Thai Police for comment. It is rarer for the lese-majeste law to be used against foreigners, but it has happened before, Mr Akarachai said. The army filed the complaint against Mr Chambers for "defamation, contempt or malice" towards the royal family, "importing false computer data" in a way "likely to damage national security or cause public panic", and disseminating computer data "that may affect national security", according to a letter from police received by the university's social sciences faculty on Friday, his legal representation said. The court had already issued the arrest warrant on Monday, Thai Lawyers for Human Rights Centre added. If charges are filed against Mr Chambers next Tuesday, police could release him on bail or detain him, in which case his lawyer would apply for bail. Police will then investigate and if they believe he did commit the offense, pass a case along to prosecutors, who will decide whether to indict him. According to his LinkedIn page, Mr Chambers first lived and worked in Thailand 30 years ago, and has spent years since then lecturing and researching in the country, including writing books on its military. He has not received a subpoena before, his legal representation said. Thailand's lese-majeste law has been in place since the creation of the country's first criminal code in 1908, although the penalty was toughened in 1976. The government says the law is necessary to protect the monarchy. Critics say the law is used to clamp down on free speech. Mr Akarachai told the BBC lese-majeste has been used more since student-led pro-democracy protests, which also targeted the monarchy, swept the country in 2020. After months of protests, Thailand revived the lese-majeste law for the first time in more than two years. Since late 2020, Thai Lawyers for Human Rights Centre has seen more than 300 cases of lese-majeste involving more than 270 people, including 20 children under the age of 18, Mr Akarachai said. "When people take to the streets to demand monarchy reforms, they face the risk of political prosecution. Now, when academics write or discuss about those issues in academic settings, it seems they also face the same risk of political prosecution," he said. Last year, a reformist political party was dissolved by court order after the court ruled the party's campaign promise to change lese-majeste was unconstitutional. The European Parliament called on Thailand last month to reform the law, which it said was "among the strictest in the world", and grant amnesty to those prosecuted and imprisoned under it. On Wednesday, Thai parliament is set to discuss the issue of amnesty bills, Mr Akarachai said. Thailand's lese-majeste law explained
BBC News
04-04-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Thai arrest warrant issued for US academic under ban on insulting royalty
A Thai court has issued an arrest warrant for an American academic under Thailand's lese-majeste law that forbids insulting the army filed a complaint against Paul Chambers, a lecturer at Naresuan University in central Thailand, under lese-majeste and computer crime laws, according to his legal Chambers and his lawyer are due to report to police on Tuesday, where charges are expected to be filed. Akarachai Chaimaneekarakate, advocacy lead for the Thai Lawyers for Human Rights Centre representing Mr Chambers, told the BBC he did not know the reason for the convicted, Mr Chambers could face three to 15 years in prison for each lese-majeste count. The BBC has contacted Royal Thai Police for is rarer for the lese-majeste law to be used against foreigners, but it has happened before, Mr Akarachai said. The army filed the complaint against Mr Chambers for "defamation, contempt or malice" towards the royal family, "importing false computer data" in a way "likely to damage national security or cause public panic", and disseminating computer data "that may affect national security", according to a letter from police received by the university's social sciences faculty on Friday, his legal representation court had already issued the arrest warrant on Monday, Thai Lawyers for Human Rights Centre charges are filed against Mr Chambers next Tuesday, police could release him on bail or detain him, in which case his lawyer would apply for bail. Police will then investigate and if they believe he did commit the offense, pass a case along to prosecutors, who will decide whether to indict to his LinkedIn page, Mr Chambers first lived and worked in Thailand 30 years ago, and has spent years since then lecturing and researching in the country, including writing books on its has not received a subpoena before, his legal representation said. Thailand's lese-majeste law has been in place since the creation of the country's first criminal code in 1908, although the penalty was toughened in government says the law is necessary to protect the monarchy. Critics say the law is used to clamp down on free Akarachai told the BBC lese-majeste has been used more since student-led pro-democracy protests, which also targeted the monarchy, swept the country in months of protests, Thailand revived the lese-majeste law for the first time in more than two years. Since late 2020, Thai Lawyers for Human Rights Centre has seen more than 300 cases of lese-majeste involving more than 270 people, including 20 children under the age of 18, Mr Akarachai said."When people take to the streets to demand monarchy reforms, they face the risk of political prosecution. Now, when academics write or discuss about those issues in academic settings, it seems they also face the same risk of political prosecution," he year, a reformist political party was dissolved by court order after the court ruled the party's campaign promise to change lese-majeste was European Parliament called on Thailand last month to reform the law, which it said was "among the strictest in the world", and grant amnesty to those prosecuted and imprisoned under Wednesday, Thai parliament is set to discuss the issue of amnesty bills, Mr Akarachai said.
