A 31-year-old electrician was charged with royal defamation over 4 Facebook posts and has been detained at the Bangkok Remand Prison since 11 August, says Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR).
TLHR said that it was notified in late August by political prisoners at the Bangkok Remand Prison that Apirak (pseudonym) was being detained pending investigation, had no legal representation, and had not requested bail. He was arrested on the night of 10 August on charges of royal defamation and violating the Computer Crimes Act for 2 Facebook posts made between 8 – 9 August, for sharing 2 posts from a Facebook page about the monarchy between 9 – 10 August and for adding a caption.
On 11 August, he was taken to the Criminal Court, where the inquiry officer requested that he be temporarily detained. He was subsequently held at the Bangkok Remand Prison because he did not file for bail.
On 29 August, TLHR’s lawyers requested bail for Apirak. He was released on a 90,000-baht security after 19 days in detention.
According to TLHR, at least 284 people have been charged with royal defamation since November 2020.
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