By Pei Hu
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

BANGKOK, Thailand – Under Thailand’s lese-majeste laws, Australian writer Harry Nicoladies was sentenced to three years in jail for insulting the Thai monarchy. Nicolaides’ sentence was reduced from six years to three years due to his guilty plea.

Nicolaides was arrested in August 2008 and he admitted to insulting the royal family but said he was unaware that he was committing an offense. The judge found Nicolaides guilty and told the court “[Nicolaides] has written a book that slandered the king, the crown prince and Thailand and the monarchy.”

Nicolaides’ charge stems from a self-published novel called Verisimilitude he wrote four years ago. The novel alluded to the crown prince of Thailand mistreating one of his mistresses. Verisimilitude was not widely circulated as it just sold seven copies and the only known existing copy is sitting on the self of the Thai National Library, freely available to the public.

Thailand has one of the most stringent lese-majeste laws in the world. Lese-majeste laws prohibit anyone in Thailand from insulting the royal family and carried up to a 15 year jail sentence. A growing number of people are being investigated and charged under these laws.

Giles Ungpakor a political commentator told reporters that “Lese majeste is being used to destroy free speech.” Critics of Thailand’s lese-majeste say the law is frequently abused by politicians because the complaint can be filed by anyone no matter or trivial the alleged insult is.

According to Jonathan Head, a BBC correspondent in Bangkok, Nicolaides has a good chance of getting pardoned by the King because he is a repentant foreigner. In the meantime, Nicolaides describes his time in jail “like a bad dream.”

For more information, please see:

BBC – Writer Jailed for Thai ‘Insult’– 19 January 2009

IW – Australian Author Denied Bail in Thailand– 13 December 2008

Reuters – Thai Political Analyst Charged with Insulting King– 20 January 2009

RSF – In Major Free Speech Violation, Australian Writer Gets 3 Years in Prison for Lese Majeste– 19 January 2009

BBC – Picture of Harry Nicolaides