US EditionThai Woman Jailed for 43 Years for Lese-Majeste Freed
Anchan Preelert served over 8 years of a 43-year sentence for sharing 29 clips violating Thailand's lese-majeste law before release under a royal pardon.
- Anchan Preelert, a 69-year-old former civil servant, will be released on August 27, 2025, from Bangkok's Central Women's Correctional Institution after serving more than eight years for lese-majeste violations.
- In January 2021, the Bangkok Criminal Court handed down a 43-year prison sentence to her for 29 counts of sharing audio clips on Facebook and YouTube that were critical of the monarchy.
- Her original 87-year sentence, the longest on record for such offenses, was halved after she pleaded guilty and subsequently reduced multiple times by royal pardons.
- The lese-majeste law, under Article 112, punishes defaming or insulting the monarchy with three to 15 years imprisonment per count and has been criticized as a tool to suppress political dissent.
- Anchan's release, welcomed by human rights groups, marks a rare pardon amid ongoing prosecutions of political prisoners, including 32 charged with royal defamation, while a recent amnesty bill was rejected by Thai lawmakers.
40 Articles
40 Articles
Ottumwa Courier
A royal pardon frees a Thai woman serving a 43-year prison term for defaming the monarchy
A woman in Thailand, sentenced to a prison term of more than four decades on a charge of royal defamation, has been released by a royal pardon after serving just under one-fifth of her term. The group Thai Lawyers for…
Malay Mail
AlKhaleej TodayThai woman sentenced to 43 years for lese-majeste in 2021 freed on king’s birthday
BANGKOK, Aug 27 — A Thai woman who received one of the kingdom’s longest ever royal insult sentences was freed from prison today under a mass pardon marking the king’s birthday.Anchan Preelert, 69, was jailed for 43 years in 2021 after sharing online audio clips on YouTube of an underground podcast host known as “DJ Banpodj”, a fierce critic of the monarchy.She was initially sentenced to 87 years — three for each of the 29 counts of lese-majeste…
Radio France Internationale
Thai woman jailed for 43 years for lese-majeste freed
A Thai woman who received one of the kingdom's longest ever royal insult sentences was freed from prison on Wednesday under a mass pardon marking the king's birthday.
Thailand to Release Woman Jailed for 43-Year Lese-Majeste Sentence - teleSUR English
Anchan Preelert was granted royal pardon after serving eight years in prison for criticizing the monarchy. On Thursday, Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR) informed that Anchan Preelert has received a royal pardon and will be released on Wednesday from the Central Women’s Correctional Institution in Bangkok. RELATED: Thailand and Cambodia Agree to Clear Mines and Resolve Territorial Disputes The former government official, who has been behind b…
The elderly woman shared 29 podcasts critical of the monarchy, received three years for each, had her sentence halved on appeal, and ultimately served more than eight years in prison.
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