23-year-old Patiwat Saraiyaem and P0*nthip Munkong, 26, had pleaded
guilty to breaking strict lese majeste laws which protect the royals
from any insults. BBC reports:
The charges related to a play they performed at a university in 2013.
Thailand’s lese majeste laws are the world’s strictest, but critics
say the military government is increasingly using them to silence
dissent.
The two were convicted on one count of lese majeste which carries a
maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. The sentence was reduced because
both admitted guilt, the judge said.
As they awaited their verdict, P0*nthip Munkong and Patiwat Saraiyaem
smiled and waved at their supporters in Bangkok’s main criminal court.
Most of the crowd were fellow student activists; among them I
recognised some of the few who have dared protest against military rule.
P0*nthip’s mother hugged her tearfully.
P0*nthip told me she had done nothing wrong in staging the play, but had pleaded guilty to try to reduce the sentence.
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