Not for the first time, a teenager, under 18 at the time of the alleged offense, has been indicted under Article 112 or lese majeste.
Thanakorn, nicknamed Petch, with surname withheld, an LGBTQ activist, was arrested for “taking part in a protest in December, to demand reform of the country’s monarchy…”.
It is reported that the “decision to indict was made on April 9th, but was only found out yesterday … [25 May 2021] when the teenager reported himself to the Central Juvenile and Family Court.”
The now 18-year-old was charged in January when he was 17 years old. He was charged with “having given a speech during which he insulted the monarchy…”.
Petch denies the allegation and the court “released him on a bail of 5,000 baht … [with t]he next hearing … on June 11th.” He is reportedly worried about the injustices seen in recent lese majeste cases and for the future of democracy in Thailand. Petch was supported by his father who criticized prosecutions for expressing opinions and urged protesters on.
Petch also a total of five charges. In addition to lese majeste, he faces charges of sedition and violation of the Emergency Decree.
Political Prisoners in Thailand 
[…] has posted previously on what we called juvenile lese majeste (see here and here). But reading a Prachatai report that details a lese majeste case against a 14 year-old girl, it […]
[…] case TLHR refers to involves Petch. a 19 year old LGBTQ+ activist. He copped the charge for a speech on 6 December 2020 at Wongwian […]