A Thai musician has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for royal defamation, a court official said Friday, in the latest conviction under a controversial lese majeste law.<\/p>\n
The 28-year-old was found guilty of posting insulting messages about the monarchy on Facebook between 2010 and 2011, said a court official from the northeastern province of Ubon Ratchathani, without giving further details.<\/p>\n
King Bhumibol Adulyadej, aged 86, is revered by many Thais and protected by tough royal defamation laws.<\/p>\n
Under the strict lese majeste rules anyone convicted of insulting the king, queen, heir or regent faces up to 15 years in prison on each count.<\/p>\n
The court sentenced the musician to three years each for nine counts of lese majeste and four months each for 12 counts of violating the computer crime act.<\/p>\n
But after admitting to all charges his sentence was reduced to 15 years in jail.<\/p>\n
“The suspect had repeatedly committed wrongdoings and in this case the judge has sentenced him with minimum penalties for both charges,” said the court official.<\/p>\n
Since seizing power in Thailand in May, the army has clamped down on any opposition to its takeover, with a crackdown on perceived slurs against the royals at the heart of its stepped-up online surveillance operations.<\/p>\n
Under the rules, anybody can make a complaint about a perceived royal insult and police are duty-bound to investigate.<\/p>\n
Before the coup, calls for reform of the lese majeste laws had grown following several high-profile convictions.<\/p>\n
But academics urging greater debate are among hundreds of people who were summoned by the junta and temporarily detained in secret locations.<\/p>\n
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