<p>Here is an unofficial English translation of the official summary verdict released by the Criminal Court on 23 January 2013.</p> <p></p>

<p>On January 23, 2013, the Criminal Court in Bangkok read the verdict in Black Case No. O.2962/2554, in which Somyot Prueksakasemsuk was charged with two violations of Article 112 of the Criminal Code. &nbsp;Somyot Prueksakasemsuk is a long-time labour rights activist and human rights defender. Somyot was prosecuted in relation to two articles published in Voice of Taksin magazine, a print publication with which he worked. The Court found Somyot guilty on both charges, and he was sentenced to ten years in prison in this case, as well as to one year in prison in relation to a prior case.</p>

<p>Reporters Without Borders is outraged by the 11-year jail sentence that a Bangkok criminal court passed today on Voice of Thaksin magazine editor Somyot Prueksakasemsuk on lèse-majesté charges for publishing two articles by another person in 2010 that were deemed to have defamed the king and the monarchy.</p>

<p>Washington, January 23, 2013 - Freedom House denounces the verdict delivered by Thailand’s criminal court sentencing long-time labor rights activist and former editor of magazineVoice of Taksin, Somyot Prueksakasemsuk, to 11 years in prison and calls for his immediate release. The government must amend its laws to protect free expression in accordance with international human rights standards.</p>

<p>The Criminal Court yesterday sentenced a prominent labour activist and magazine editor Somyot Prueksakasemsuk to 10 years' imprisonment for publishing two articles deemed to violate the lèse majesté law, amidst international concerns about freedom of expression in Thailand.&nbsp;</p>

<p>GENEVA (23 January 2013) - The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay expressed Wednesday her deep concern about the verdict and extremely harsh sentencing of the editor and prominent activist Somyot Pruksakasemsuk, adding that this represents a setback for the protection and promotion of human rights in Thailand.</p> <p></p>

<p>23 January, Bangkok - A Thailand criminal court today sentenced Somyot Pruekasemsuk, editor of a political magazine, to eleven years of imprisonment for publishing two articles in 2010 deemed defamatory to the country's monarchy.</p>

<p>Bangkok-Geneva-Paris, 23 January, 2013. The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), in the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, together with the Union for Civil Liberty (UCL) in Thailand, strongly condemn the conviction of Thai human rights defender and labour activist Mr. Somyot Prueksakasemsuk.</p>

<p>The sentencing of a human rights defender to ten years in prison for publishing two articles allegedly insulting the monarchy is a serious setback for freedom of expression in Thailand, Amnesty International said.</p>

<p>Bangkok, 23 January 2013– The European Union Delegation issues the following statement in agreement with the EU Heads of Mission in Thailand:</p>

<p>Clean Clothes Campaign, together with the Free Somyot Campaign and the Thai Labour Campaign strongly deplore the conviction of human rights defender and magazine editor Somyot Prueksakasemsuk. Today, the Bangkok Criminal Court found him guilty on two counts of Article 112 of the Criminal Code (the lèse-majesté law*) and sentenced him to 11 years of imprisonment: 10 years for both counts and one more year from a previously suspended sentence.&nbsp;</p>

<p><em>Sentence Continues Aggressive Judicial Action on Lese Majeste</em></p> <div>(New York, January 23, 2013) – The conviction of a prominent Thai magazine editor and his harsh 11 year sentence for “insulting the monarchy” will further chill freedom of expression in Thailand, Human Rights Watch said today. On January 23, 2013, the Bangkok Criminal Court found Somyot Prueksakasemsuk guilty of lese majeste offenses, for publishing two articles in his Voice of Taksin magazine that prosecutors argued made negative references to the monarchy.</div> <p></p>