UN human rights experts expressed grave concern Monday over Thailand’s increasingly severe use of lèse-majesté laws to curtail criticism of the monarchy, singling out a 43-year sentence for an elderly woman convicted for insulting the royal family.
Anchan Preelert, a 60-year-old former civil servant, was on January 19 last year handed what is viewed as the harshest sentence under the lèse-majesté provisions. She was accused of posting audio clips critical of the monarch on her Facebook and YouTube accounts between 2014 and 2015. UN experts first raised her case in 2016, after she was tried in a military court and sentenced to 87 years in prison. After her case was transferred to a civilian court, she confessed to the allegations and her sentence was cut in half. The decision is still being appealed.
The experts said, “We have repeatedly emphasized that lèse-majesté laws have no place in a democratic country. Their increasingly harsh application has had the effect of chilling freedom of expression and further restricting civic space and the enjoyment of fundamental freedoms in Thailand.” Further, they urged the appeal courts to reconsider Preelert’s sentence, in line with international human rights standards.
According to the experts, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the pro-democracy activists have moved to online advocacy. The authorities have since responded by enforcing the lèse-majesté laws more strictly and they have even charged minors for exercising their freedom of expression. The experts recalled that public figures, including the highest political authority, are legitimately subject to criticism under international human rights law. They argued that despite the fact that some forms of expression may be considered offensive or shocking to a public figure, this does not suffice to justify the imposition of such severe penalties.
The experts called for the repeal of lèse-majesté laws and for the authorities to drop all charges against those who are currently facing criminal prosecution. Furthermore, they called for the release of all those who had been imprisoned for exercising their right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.
