A group of organizations claiming to protect the monarchy has filed a complaint against Pita Limjaroenrat under the royal defamation law and the Computer-Related Crime Act, alleging that his interview with BBC has affected the country’s highest institution.

<p>4 famous pop singers have been accused under the Computer Crimes Act for altering a song to satirise the government, while in a separate case, P9D, a rapper, has been accused over a song that mentions the institution of monarchy.</p>

<p>On a Facebook page critical of the Thai monarchy, Thai celebrity Cherprang Areekul was repeatedly photoshopped to resemble the Queen of Thailand. The page admin claims that they are being prosecuted under the lèse majesté law. Cherprang&rsquo;s agency refutes the claim, saying that the legal action was in fact under the Computer Crime Act.</p>

<p>Samutprakan Provincial Court has acquitted &quot;Thanakorn&quot; of lèse-majesté and computer crime charges after the authorities prosecuted him for posting a statement relating to a sarcastic comment against supporters of Thong Daeng, the favourite dog of the late King Bhumibol.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The public prosecutor has chosen not to move forward in the case of a famous young twitter user who was arrested for posts about King Rama X. The defendant says he is quite stressed because the statute of limitations is 10 years, but his family is even more concerned.</p>

<p>Ever since the 2014 coup d&#39;état by the NCPO, there have been relentless efforts to silence critics. Human rights defenders, activists, journalists, opposition politicians, and online users have faced &lsquo;lawfare&rsquo; where the government brought criminal charges against them to stop criticism.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Political activist Karn Pongpraphapan was arrested last night (7 October) by the Technology Crime Suppression Division (TCSD), after an arrest warrant was issued for a violation of Article 14 of the Computer-related Crime Act, said Winyat Chatmontree, Karn&rsquo;s attorney and the Secretary General of the United Lawyers for Rights and Liberty.</p>

<p>The prosecutor in the Deep South province of Pattani has dropped the charges against 3 prominent human rights defenders who documented allegations of human rights abuses in the restive Deep South.</p>

<p dir="ltr">With a secret military court again denying bail last week to Jatuphat Boonpattararaksa, a law student from Khon Kaen University in Northeast Thailand, the regime is adopting show trials targeting university students, human rights activists, and academics. In effect, it is engaging in cyberwarfare against its own people, cementing a surveillance state. In addition, the military state mentality presents a clear and present threat to Thailand’s overseas image and economy.</p>

<p><em>The revised Computer Crime Act has introduced the novel offence of ‘distorted information’.&nbsp; Once the Act comes into force, any information which is transmitted online, like these articles, and which is deliberately false, can serve as the basis for a criminal prosecution.&nbsp;</em></p>

<p>She would not let the death of her uncle be forgotten as insignificant and has braved legal, physical and psychological threats in her fight against military-backed torture. Prachatai introduces Naritsarawan ‘May’ Keawnopparat, our Person of the Year 2016. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p></p>