A student activist has become the latest political dissident to flee Thailand, explaining on her Facebook page that she made a snap decision to leave after learning she had been charged with insulting the monarchy because she shared a BBC article about the country’s new king.
Lese majeste, or insulting the monarchy, is punishable by three to 15 years in prison per incident, and the case against Chanoknan Ruamsap is apparently the first filed this year.
Lese majeste cases have increased markedly under the military government that has been in power since 2014. Critics say the law is used to punish political dissidents.
Another prominent student activist, Boonpattaraksa, was sentenced to 2 ½ years in prison for sharing the same article posted online by the BBC’s Thai-language service about King Vajiralongkorn, who succeeded his father, the late King Bhumibol, in late 2016.
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