A Phitsanulok woman jailed for lese-majeste was released from prison on Wednesday, a month before her 18-month sentence was to end, after a court approved her request to withdraw her appeal, according to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR).
The 31-year-old woman, identified only as Warunee, filed her request to withdraw her appeal in April, and had to wait seven months for a ruling from the Court of Appeal, which came on Nov 21, the lawyers’ group said.
Warunee was sentenced in June 2023 to three years in prison — reduced to 18 months because she confessed — for posting an edited picture of His Majesty the King online.
After filing her appeal, Warunee went on a hunger strike in prison for 46 days to protest against being denied bail.
Court approval of the withdrawn appeal meant her case was now concluded and she was eligible for early release under the applicable legal provisions, her lawyers said.
In a related development, imprisoned lawyer Arnon Nampa is back in court this week for a hearing on another lese-majeste charge — the fifth of 14 he is facing.
The latest case relates to a speech he gave at a Harry Potter-themed protest on August 3, 2020. Arnon’s defence team has been seeking the release of certain documents to support his case, but because of the sensitivity of the issue, the judges ordered a closed hearing and all spectators had to leave the courtroom.
Arnon reportedly took off his shirt to protest against the decision, and might now be facing a contempt of court charge.
According to data from TLHR to Oct 31 this year, 1,958 people have been prosecuted for political participation and expression since the beginning of the Free Youth protests in July 2020. At least 275 are facing lese-majeste charges under Section 112 of the Criminal Code and 154 have been charged with sedition under Section 116.
