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Former Teacher Sentenced to 3 Years in Prison for Lese Majeste |
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Sunday, 25 January 2009 |
Forty-one year-old Australian Harry Nicholaides has been sentenced to 3 years in prison for writing and publishing a book allegedly defaming the Thai monarchy. According to the presiding judge, Nicholaides' book Verisimilitude, published in 2005, "suggested that there was abuse of royal power." Fifty copies of the book were published; only 10 copies were sold. The book is not listed on any booksellers' Web sites. Nicholaides, a former journalist, entered Thailand in 2003 and had been teaching at Thai universities. He was arrested while boarding a plane home, apparently unaware that an arrest warrant had been issued against him. He had been detained in a Thai prison since August 31 and, according to his lawyer, had endured 'unspeakable suffering.' His sentence was halved to 3 years because he had pleaded guilty.
IHT
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