Update on lese majeste victim Somyos

Prachatai reports on lese majeste political prisoner Somyos Prueksakasemsuk’s latest court appearance, this time in Phetchabun province, on 19 December.

This time the court heard the second prosecution witness, a former employee of the magazine Somyos produced.  The report states that the “court room was packed with an audience from Bangkok and local areas.”

Benja Homwan stated that “she did not know whether Somyot ever edited those articles [sent by email].  She saw that a sender named ‘Jitr Pollachan’ sent articles, which were the grounds for this prosecution against Somyot, and heard her colleagues saying that it was a pen name of Jakraphob Penkair.”

But she also stated that “she did not know whether Jakraphob was really ‘Jitr Pollachan’, and she had never seen him visiting the office…. She said that Somyot had contributed to the magazine using his real name.”

Somyos in chains

Exactly why the Criminal Court has ordered provincial hearings when the defendant and most of the witnesses are in Bangkok. Perhaps, like demanding the “dangerous” Somyos wear leg irons. Just another aspect of lese majeste torture perhaps.

Somyos and his lawyer are threatening to miss the trial planned for Songkhla in the heart of Democrat Party and royalist reaction: “Simply put, we’ll boycott it.  We’ll never go there.  If they force us to go, they have to drag or carry us there,” the lawyer reportedly said.

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