{"id":1566,"date":"2018-04-30T14:14:24","date_gmt":"2018-04-30T14:14:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/eastasiaandoceaniablog\/?p=1566"},"modified":"2018-04-30T14:14:24","modified_gmt":"2018-04-30T14:14:24","slug":"thailand-freedom-of-speech","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/eastasiaandoceaniablog\/2018\/04\/30\/thailand-freedom-of-speech\/","title":{"rendered":"Thailand freedom of speech"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"row article-top-header\">\n<div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"col-md-8 article-top-header-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"article-heading\">\n<h1 class=\"post-title\">Thailand releases magazine editor imprisoned for royal insult<\/h1>\n<p class=\"article-heading-des\">Somyot Prueksakasemsuk was arrested in 2011 after launching a campaign calling for a reform of strict lese majesty law.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-heading-author-wrap\">\n<div class=\"article-heading-author-img\">\n<div class=\"article-heading-author-name\">\n<div class=\"article-duration\">3 hours ago<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"article-top-share-icon\" class=\"article-readToMe-share-block\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"row article-main-content-wrapper\">\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"col-md-8 article-main-content\">\n<div>\n<div>\n<article id=\"main-article-block\" class=\"main-article-block clear-fix\">\n<div class=\"main-article-body\">\n<figure class=\"main-article-mediaCaption\">\n<div class=\"main-article-media\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"img-responsive main-article-media-img\" title=\"Thailand releases magazine editor imprisoned for royal insult\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/mritems\/imagecache\/mbdxxlarge\/mritems\/Images\/2018\/4\/30\/3376d0b3b63c4a4a8525ec3cabbe4f98_18.jpg\" alt=\"Somyot Prueksakasemsuk stands next to his supporters after his release from prison [Aukkarapon Niyomat\/Reuters] \" \/><\/div><figcaption class=\"main-article-caption\">Somyot Prueksakasemsuk stands next to his supporters after his release from prison [Aukkarapon Niyomat\/Reuters]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"article-more-on-block article-shaded-blocks article-embedded-card hidden-xs\">\n<h4 class=\"embeded-box-name\">MORE ON\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/topics\/country\/thailand.html\">THAILAND<\/a><\/h4>\n<ul class=\"article-more-on-ul\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2018\/04\/thailand-releases-magazine-editor-imprisoned-royal-insult-180430090856289.html\">Thailand releases magazine editor imprisoned for royal insult<\/a>today<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/programmes\/aljazeeracorrespondent\/2013\/12\/i-run-because-2013129131542542538.html\">I run because&#8230;<\/a>3 weeks ago<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2018\/03\/thailand-migrant-registration-deadline-expire-180331133253669.html\">Thailand: Migrant registration deadline to expire soon<\/a>last month<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2018\/03\/hrw-condemns-libel-verdict-rights-worker-andy-hall-180328191439164.html\">HRW condemns libel verdict against rights worker Andy Hall<\/a>last month<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"body-200771816342556199\" class=\"article-p-wrapper\">\n<p class=\"speakable\">A Thai activist and magazine editor who in 2013 was sentenced to 11 years behind bars for insulting the monarchy has been released after seven years in prison.<\/p>\n<p class=\"speakable\">Somyot Prueksakasemsuk\u00a0was arrested in 2011 after launching a campaign to collect 10,000 signatures for a petition that called for a reform of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/topics\/country\/thailand.html\">Thailand<\/a>&#8216;s\u00a0strict lese majesty law &#8211;\u00a0using the French term, a &#8220;lese majeste&#8221; crime is one committed against a sovereign ruler.<\/p>\n<p class=\"speakable\">The editor of the political magazine &#8220;Voice of Taksin&#8221; was imprisoned without bail for nearly two years and in January 2013, the Criminal Court of Thailand convicted him of lese majeste and sentenced him to 10 years in prison, plus another year for a separate defamation case.<\/p>\n<p>Somyot\u00a0refused to plead guilty or seek a royal pardon. The Supreme Court reduced his sentence in 2017.<\/p>\n<p>After his release on Monday, Somyot vowed to keep pressing his call for democracy.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I will use my rights as a Thai citizen to join this movement and I invite people to support calls for an election as soon as possible,&#8221; the\u00a056-year-old told reporters outside the Bangkok prison, where about 100 supporters greeted him.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-also-read article-embed-tb-block article-embedded-card \">\n<div class=\"topic-label\">READ MORE<\/div>\n<h4><a class=\"article-embed-title\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2018\/02\/thailand-protesters-demand-national-elections-180210140026958.html\">Thailand: Protesters demand national elections<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<p>&#8220;Calling for democracy, especially elections, is good,&#8221; added Somyot.<\/p>\n<p>Thailand&#8217;s military government has repeatedly delayed general elections, with the latest date set for February 2019.<\/p>\n<p>Student-led protests calling for elections and for the military government to step down have been taking<\/p>\n<p>The military government&#8217;s top legal adviser has already warned Somyot not to break the law.<\/p>\n<p>In Thailand, it is illegal to defame, insult or threaten members of the royal family. The lese majeste law has been on the statute books since 1908.<\/p>\n<p>An alliance of human rights organisations had lobbied for the dismissal of the charges against Somyot, including\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/topics\/organisations\/amnesty-international.html\">Amnesty International<\/a>, Freedom House and the International Federation for Human Rights.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Thailand releases magazine editor imprisoned for royal insult Somyot Prueksakasemsuk was arrested in 2011 after launching a campaign calling for a reform of strict lese majesty law. 3 hours ago Somyot Prueksakasemsuk stands next to his supporters after his release from prison [Aukkarapon Niyomat\/Reuters] MORE ON\u00a0THAILAND Thailand releases magazine editor imprisoned for royal insulttoday I run because&#8230;3 weeks ago Thailand:&#8230; <a href=\"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/eastasiaandoceaniablog\/2018\/04\/30\/thailand-freedom-of-speech\/\">Read more &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":55,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1566","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/eastasiaandoceaniablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1566","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/eastasiaandoceaniablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/eastasiaandoceaniablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/eastasiaandoceaniablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/55"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/eastasiaandoceaniablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1566"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/eastasiaandoceaniablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1566\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1567,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/eastasiaandoceaniablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1566\/revisions\/1567"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/eastasiaandoceaniablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1566"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/eastasiaandoceaniablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1566"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/eastasiaandoceaniablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1566"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}