Because of insult to majesty at the "Thai-Kini": Thais are supposed to go to jail for decades

A former Thai tax officials was sentenced in Bangkok to a record sentence for lese majesty.

• In

  Thailand

  , a woman has been

  imprisoned

  for 43 years on

  lese majesty

  .

• Activists

  are

  shocked

  by the

  sentence

  .

• People in

  Thailand have

  been demonstrating

  against the

  government

  and the

  monarch

  for months

  .

Bangkok - 43 years in prison - this is the verdict that has now been passed in a

trial

against a former officer in

Thailand

.

Anchan Preelert

was found guilty of

posting

audio clips on the Internet in which she

spoke of

King Maha Vajiralongkorn of

Thailand

insulted and

criticized

the

monarchy

.

This is evident from the court's records.

The convict was

found guilty of

lese

majesty

on

29 counts

.

A group of Thai

human rights

lawyers

announced on Tuesday (January 19th) that the woman had

posted

audio clips

on

Facebook

and

YouTube

in which she

disseminated

critical comments about the

monarchy

.

Preelert previously worked as a

civil servant for the Thai

tax

authorities

.

Record sentence in Thailand: 43 instead of 87 years in prison for lese majesty

The

original sentence is said to have been 87 years in prison

.

However, since the defendant

pleaded guilty, the sentence was halved.

She had hoped that the court

would show leniency

after an

admission of

guilt.

The former official told the

public

media

in Thailand that she

only shared

the audio clips allegedly criticizing the

monarchy

and the

king

and not commented on them herself.

Thailand

has been known for years for its strict

legislation

, particularly with regard to potential criticism of the monarch or his court.

Those affected face

15 years imprisonment

if they express criticism

.

Since the defendant was found guilty on several counts, the sentence increased.

She was also

found guilty of

violating

computer crime

laws

.

Activists

are shocked by the verdict.

"Today's court ruling is shocking and sends a creepy message that criticism of the monarchy will not only not be tolerated, but will also be severely punished," said

Sunai Phasuk

of the

human rights organization Human Rights Watch

.

UN observes the situation in Thailand: 16-year-old also arrested

It was not until December 2020 that a

process received

greater attention.

A 16-year-old had been

arrested on

charges of

lese majesty

because, according to

UN

information,

he

was alleged

to have made fun of the fashion style of the Thai king.

Protests in Thailand: criticism of the government and monarchy

For months, it comes in

Thailand

to

protest

against a

military coup

emerged

government

and against the role of the

monarchy

.

There are always serious

clashes

between the demonstrators and the

police

.

In this context, at least 34 people have been arrested on lese majesty in the past few weeks.

This was announced by a spokeswoman for the

UN human rights office

, which is

monitoring

developments in

Thailand

.

The

maximum sentence

imposed so far for criticizing the monarch was 35 years.

This has now been increased to 43 years through the conviction of the former officer.

Critics point out that the Thai authorities would use the law

to suppress

the

opposition

.

Thai king in Germany: Garmisch-Partenkirchen as adopted home

Heiko Maas (SPD)

had already

reacted

to the protests in

Thailand

in his position as

Federal Foreign Minister

a few months ago

and

threatened

the

Thai king

with far-reaching consequences.

The law against lese majesty should

no longer apply

after the

current king's

accession

to the

throne

in 2016.

After the

protests

in Thailand had increased, however, the 

Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha

announced that he would continue to use this.

The

Thai King Vajiralongkorn

is particularly well known in Germany because he has been living mostly in

Garmisch-Partenkirchen

in

Bavaria

for years

.

(

at)