US EditionThailand drops royal insult prosecution against American academic
- Thailand's state prosecutor announced on May 1 it will not pursue charges against American academic Paul Chambers, who was arrested last month in Phitsanulok for royal defamation.
- Chambers' arrest followed a complaint by the army's Internal Security Operations Command over a Facebook post quoting a seminar blurb from a Singapore-based research institute where he spoke last year.
- He was held in pre-trial detention for two nights, released on bail while required to wear an ankle monitor, and his visa was canceled due to immigration regulations; he denied all accusations, including breaches of the Computer Crimes Act.
- State prosecutors called the swift decision a positive step; the royal defamation law in Thailand carries penalties up to 15 years imprisonment and is considered among the world's harshest.
- The prosecutor requested that the court drop charges and free Chambers, but the case may still be reviewed by local police, highlighting continued legal uncertainty despite reduced prosecution risk.
38 Articles
38 Articles
Thailand prosecutors decline to indict US professor on royal defamation allegations
Thai state prosecutors announced on Thursday they would not pursue royal defamation charges against an American political science lecturer at Naresuan University who was arrested on April 8 for allegedly violating Thailand’s lese majeste law, according to local media. The attorney general’s office said it had decided “not to indict” the individual, a 58-year-old man who has been identified as Paul Chambers. The Phitsanulok provincial prosecutor …
Thailand: The prosecution of lèse-majesté crimes against an abandoned American university · Global Voices
Thai justice announced this Thursday, May 1st not to charge Paul Chambers, who was accused of insulting the monarchy under the strict laws of the kingdom on lesis majesty.
Prosecutors in Thailand say they won't pursue royal defamation case against US scholar
BANGKOK (AP) — State prosecutors in Thailand announced Thursday that they don't intend to press charges against an American academic arrested for royal defamation, an offense punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
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