A Thai man faces 32 years in prison because of what he liked and shared on Facebook.
Thanakorn Siripaiboon, 27, was arrested on Dec. 8 for Facebook posts sharing infographics that criticized alleged corruption in the country’s military dictatorship. Thai authorities say he also “clicked ‘like’ on a doctored photo of the king and shared it with 608 friends.”
Siripaiboon follows in the footsteps of a Thai man who was sentenced in August to 30 years in prison for Facebook activity seen as insulting to the monarchy, according to the Guardian.
Human rights groups say Siripaiboon has been “disappeared” since his arrest, held in secret military custody for a week over Facebook status updates.
“Thanakorn’s secret detention should set off flashing red lights—especially since the Thai authorities failed to resolve two recent deaths of detainees in military custody,” Brad Adams, the Asia director of Human Rights Watch, said in a statement. “Thailand’s junta has increasingly flouted international legal protections by holding civilian detainees incommunicado in military camps.”
Siripaiboon is accused of is lese majeste, or “violating majesty,” on Facebook.
Photo via Maurizio Pesce / Flickr (CC BY 2.0) | Remix by Max Fleishman
