un slams first royal slur charge under new thai king
Last Updated : GMT 05:17:37
Emiratesvoice, emirates voice
Emiratesvoice, emirates voice
Last Updated : GMT 05:17:37
Emiratesvoice, emirates voice

UN slams first royal slur charge under new Thai king

Emiratesvoice, emirates voice

Emiratesvoice, emirates voice UN slams first royal slur charge under new Thai king

Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn
Bangkok - Arab Today

The first royal defamation case brought under Thailand's new monarch was slammed by a top United Nations envoy on Tuesday, who said public figures should not be above scrutiny or criticism.

The comments were sparked by the ongoing detention of Jatupat Boonpatararaksa, a pro-democracy student activist arrested in December for sharing on Facebook a profile written by BBC Thai of the country's new king Maha Vajiralongkorn.

Thousands of Thais shared the profile but Jatupat -- a prominent junta critic better known by his nickname Pai -- is the only person to have been prosecuted so far.

Multiple bail hearings have been held behind closed doors and he faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted.

David Kaye, the UN's special rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression, said he was concerned by the use of secret hearings.

He also launched a wider attack on Thailand's lese majeste law, the use of which has skyrocketed since ultra-royalist generals seized power in 2014.

"Public figures, including those exercising the highest political authority, may be subject to criticism, and the fact that some forms of expression are considered to be insulting to a public figure is not sufficient to justify restrictions or penalties," Kaye said in a statement.

He said such laws "have no place in a democratic country" and called for Thailand to repeal them.

The chances of that happening are slim as Thailand is run by staunch royalist generals who have formed the most authoritarian government in a generation, with political gatherings banned and scores of opponents jailed or facing trial.

Dozens of lese majeste cases have been brought against members of the public and activists -- often for comments made online -- with some being handed down 25-30 year jail sentences.

Thailand's enormously wealthy monarchy are shielded from criticism by the lese majeste law which forces media inside the kingdom to heavily self-censor.

But authorities have little control over what is written about the family outside the country.

Vajiralongkorn, 64, succeeded his father Bhumibol Adulyadej who died in October after a seven-decade reign.

Bhumibol was widely loved, his positive image aided by the lese majeste law -- despite a 2005 speech he gave saying the king was not above criticism.

Vajiralongkorn has yet to attain his father's widespread popularity.

Despite severe reporting restrictions, many Thai citizens are aware of his multiple marriages, his lifestyle and character thanks to the internet.

Observers are watching closely for whether his reign will see a reduction or increase in lese majeste prosecutions.

The article that Pai put online was written by the BBC's Thai language service out of their London offices.

Unlike many English language profiles, it offered Thais a detailed assessment of their new monarch in their own tongue and quickly went viral after publication.

Source :AFP

Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

un slams first royal slur charge under new thai king un slams first royal slur charge under new thai king

 



Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

un slams first royal slur charge under new thai king un slams first royal slur charge under new thai king

 



GMT 09:54 2018 Wednesday ,24 January

'Friendly and kind' N. Korean skaters

GMT 12:31 2017 Sunday ,12 November

Students get crash course on art

GMT 18:08 2016 Monday ,10 October

Saudi, Japan Ministers Seek Wider Cooperation

GMT 13:15 2017 Sunday ,22 January

Galfar incurs OMR5.78m loss

GMT 05:15 2017 Wednesday ,25 January

Alibaba quarterly revenue surges 54% to $7.7bn

GMT 13:19 2012 Monday ,12 March

Yehia Al-Fakharany speaks about new series

GMT 13:56 2016 Thursday ,18 August

Brazil police pull 2 US Olympic swimmers

GMT 08:53 2016 Saturday ,26 November

Timeline of Fidel Castro's life whose death at 90

GMT 21:06 2016 Friday ,02 September

India, Egypt must spread correct version of religion

GMT 06:53 2017 Wednesday ,12 July

Odd-man-out Donald Trump wins G20 favours

GMT 06:38 2011 Friday ,03 June

Cyber attacks constant

GMT 01:21 2017 Wednesday ,04 October

Amy hits mercenaries in Medi

GMT 09:26 2012 Wednesday ,01 February

The kingdom of the crystal skull

GMT 08:59 2011 Monday ,13 June

Al Ghandi Auto Group launches flagship showroom

GMT 08:08 2015 Thursday ,30 July

Egypt court postpones verdict in al-Jazeera trial

GMT 14:28 2017 Tuesday ,17 October

CAPRICORN (December22nd-January20th)

GMT 08:46 2017 Wednesday ,27 September

Thousands evacuated, emergency declared

GMT 11:02 2017 Tuesday ,13 June

Actor Mohamed Faheem happy for positive

GMT 10:57 2014 Saturday ,01 March

Cowshed launches spa in Selfridges London
Emiratesvoice, emirates voice
 
 Emirates Voice Facebook,emirates voice facebook  Emirates Voice Twitter,emirates voice twitter Emirates Voice Rss,emirates voice rss  Emirates Voice Youtube,emirates voice youtube  Emirates Voice Youtube,emirates voice youtube

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

emiratesvoieen emiratesvoiceen emiratesvoiceen emiratesvoiceen
emiratesvoice emiratesvoice emiratesvoice
emiratesvoice
بناية النخيل - رأس النبع _ خلف السفارة الفرنسية _بيروت - لبنان
emiratesvoice, Emiratesvoice, Emiratesvoice