Thai opposition politician gets 6 years in prison for criticizing monarchy: Verdict contrary to freedom of expression
In a high-profile trial in Thailand, an opposition MP has been sentenced to six years in prison for violating laws against 'insulting the monarchy'. Rukchanok “Ice” Srinork, a 29-year-old politician from the Move Forward Party, was convicted on December 13, 2023. This ruling has caused an international outcry, with Human Rights Watch seeing the accusations as a direct attack on freedom of expression. This case not only highlights local political dynamics in Thailand, but also the broader discussion about human rights and freedom of expression in the country.
Thai activist Anon Nampha (39) convicted of lèse majesté
In a stunning ruling, Anon Nampa, a leading Thai human rights lawyer and activist, has been sentenced to four years in prison on charges of insulting the Thai monarchy. During mass protests in 2020, he advocated reforms within the royal family. This conviction highlights Thailand's strict lèse-majesté laws and the possible suppression of dissent.
Eight death sentences in Chiang Mai drug trial
Bearing in mind the report of the armed robber who murdered 3 people in Lopburi and who was sentenced to death, I thought I had learned of a special event. Criminals in Thailand are not so often punished so severely, I thought.
Former coffee shop owner Johan van Laarhoven and his wife have been definitively sentenced to long prison sentences in Thailand for money laundering. In cassation, Van Laarhoven was again sentenced to a hundred years in prison, of which he must serve twenty. His wife's sentence also remained unchanged: eleven years and four months.
Thailand has tightened laws regarding rape to better prevent or at least curb sexual violence.
National ombudsman calls the Public Prosecution Service careless in the Van Laarhoven case
The National Ombudsman ruled that the Public Prosecution Service (OM), the Ministry of Justice and Security and the Dutch police acted negligently in the case of Johan van Laarhoven, who is serving a long prison sentence in Thailand.
Last week it was four years ago that Johan van Laarhoven (57) was arrested in Pattaya and ended up in a Thai prison. The Brabants Dagblad made a reconstruction of the case that is keeping people busy. According to the newspaper, the Dutch judiciary plays at least a dubious role in the run-up to his arrest.
Drug suspect from Laos gets life sentence
A Thai court on Tuesday, March 20, 2018 handed down a life sentence to a Laotian drug kingpin notorious for his flamboyant lifestyle and alleged social connections with celebrities and other VIPs.
The chance that Johan van Laarhoven can go to the Netherlands to serve his sentence there is a lot smaller, because the Thai Public Prosecution Service appealed against his sentence in November. This is evident from inquiries from the news site NU.nl.
Prison sentences in Thailand under scrutiny
Thailand still has the death penalty, although it has not been used since 2009. It is not known how the contemporary military government will deal with this.
Five years in prison for Yingluck in rice mortgage case
Yingluck already saw the storm coming and chose eggs for her money, even before the Supreme Court had ruled in the case of serious dereliction of duty, she fled. Yesterday, the Supreme Court sentenced former Prime Minister Yingluck to 5 years in prison, half of the maximum sentence.
Former Prime Minister Yingluck must be in suspense for another month. Then she will be told by the Supreme Court whether she is guilty of dereliction of duty during her reign. This has to do with the mortgage system for rice introduced by her government. She would have ignored warnings about corruption and did nothing about rising costs. At worst, she could face up to 10 years in prison.