<p><em>Joint Appeal to the Yingluck Shinawatra government by Asian Forum on Human Rights and Development, Clean Clothes Campaign, Front Line Defenders, International Federation for Human Rights, Lawyers' Rights Watch &ndash; Canada, Protection International, Southeast Asia Press Alliance, and World Organisation against Torture</em><em><br /> </em></p>

<p>Prachatai has monitored the <a href="http://www.prachatai.com/english/node/2826">case</a> closely, writing that &quot;the Thai-born American citizen was arrested by the Department of Special Investigation in late May this year for allegedly translating the banned book &lsquo;The King Never Smiles&rsquo; and placing links to download the translation on the internet, violating the l&egrave;se majest&eacute; law and the 2007 Computer Crimes Act.&quot;</p>

<p>The Office of the Attorney General has received from the police the case of a recent graduate from Kasetsart University who was accused of l&egrave;se majest&eacute;, and set up a committee to consider it. </p>

<p>On 2 Nov, the Criminal Court dismissed a bail request for l&egrave;se majest&eacute; suspect Surachai Danwatthananusorn, citing that his alleged crimes carry severe punishment and affect the feelings of the public.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>Reporters Without Borders condemns yesterday&rsquo;s [1 Nov] refusal by a Bangkok court to free <b>Somyos Prueksakasemsuk</b> on bail although he has been held for six months on a l&egrave;se-majest&eacute; charge in connection with his former position as editor of <i>Voice of Thaksin</i>, a magazine closed in 2010.</p>

<p>Mark Zuckerberg faces 15 brutal years in a Thai prison.</p> <p>According to the Computer Crimes Act of Thailand, a website owner is responsible for anything written on their site, not just the actual author of the content. So if anyone posts anything on Facebook that is considered illegal in Thailand, Zuckerberg could be held responsible. The problem is that even talking about this law in Thailand is an offense, so if someone clicks the &quot;like&quot; button on this article from inside their borders, it could mean trouble.</p>

<p>Once again, London-based freedom of expression activists, <a href="http://www.article19.org">ARTICLE 19</a>, are taking the lead in pushing the international agenda for the repeal and reform of Thailand's draconian lese majeste law. In addition, in the interview below, they have also called for the immediate release of ALL of Thailand's lese majeste prisoners.&nbsp; But the most surprising development - which ARTICLE 19 have highlighted in their most recent press release - is the Thai Foreign Ministry's quite extraordinary comments on l&egrave;se majest&eacute;.</p>

<p>Here is the gist of the Constitutional Court&rsquo;s ruling on the constitutionality of Section 177 of the Criminal Procedure Code. Previously, Da Torpedo&rsquo;s attorney challenged in the Lower Court (Criminal Court) that the holding of her trial on l&egrave;se majest&eacute; charges in closed doors is in breach of Section 29 and Section 40(2) of the 2007 Constitution (concerning the rights to fair trial).</p>

<p>Wanchai (family name withheld), about 60, has received combined sentences of 15 years in jail for disseminating leaflets deemed offensive to the monarchy in 2009.</p>

<p>(Hong Kong, October 12, 2011) The Asian Human Rights Commission today welcomed and strongly endorsed a call by a United Nations expert for the amendment of Thailand's criminal law so that it cannot be used to silence legitimate public debate. </p>

<p>Making Internet intermediaries liable for lese-majeste postings is like making restaurant owners liable for what diners say at the dining table, Internet expert Danny O'Brien said yesterday in written testimony to the Thai court trying webmaster Chiranuch Premchaiporn.</p>

<p class="rteleft"><em>Judge swamped, justice delayed</em></p> <p>TRIAL OF CHIRANUCH PREMCHAIPORN DELAYED UNTIL FEBRUARY 14, 15, 16, 2012. </p> <p>The third and final act in the trial of the webmaster of independent news portal Prachatai, Chiranuch Premchaiporn, was scheduled for four days this week with expert witnesses for the defence.</p>