Laws against insulting the monarchy, or lese majeste, are strictly enforced, with those found guilty facing up to 15 years in prison on each charge. Since the military took power in a 2014 coup, at least 94 people have been prosecuted for lese majeste, according to the iLaw group, which monitors royal insult cases. A cartoon portrait of Thai academic Somsak Jeamteerasakul, who was forced to flee the country in 2014 to avoid royal insult charges, was sold after an eight-hour online auction on Facebook on Sunday. “This money will go toward supporting legal costs for such cases involving rights, freedom of expression and lese majeste,” Anon told Reuters. The military government denies using lese majeste laws to silence critics and says they are necessary to protect national security.

Source: Bangkok Post February 19, 2018 08:37 UTC