Crime prosecution of lese against an abandoned American academic-Liberation

Thai justice abandoned this Thursday, May 1, prosecution for the crime of lese majesty against an American academic accused of having insulted the monarchy in an article published on a website of political analysis. Paul Chambers, politics specialist in Southeast Asia and in particular in Thailand, where he resides, had been arrested last month in the province of Phitsanulok, north of Bangkok, by virtue of the strict laws of the Kingdom on the lèse-fin.

This case constitutes a rare case where a foreign national is accused under these laws, which prohibit any criticism of the king Maha Vajralongkornalias Rama X, and his close family and provides for sentences of up to fifteen years in prison per offense.

The Thai army, a fervent defender of the monarchy, had filed the complaint about a short text published on the website of a political reflection group this year. An army spokesman defended the decision to file this complaint last week in the face of the criticisms that she does not have quality to do so under Thai law.

Trade negotiations between Thailand and the United States have been postponed until further notice, fueling speculation that the arrest could have Tying diplomatic relations between the two countries.

International observers have expressed their concern concerning the growing use of these laws against academics, activists or students. In northern Thailand, a man was imprisoned for at least fifty years for this reason for indictment last year, while a woman was sentenced to forty-three years in prison in 2021.

In addition, in 2023, another man was imprisoned for two years after having sold satirical calendars representing yellow ducks – the color of the monarchy in Thailand -, the court having judged that it was an insult to the king.