What defamation did the court find in claims about Covid vaccine distribution?

Question

Accepted Answer

Court Finds Accusation Regarding Covid-19 Vaccine Distribution Constituted Defamation

The court found that Rukchanok Srinok’s accusation, which alleged the government utilized Covid-19 vaccine distribution to enhance the monarchy's image, constituted defamation. This finding was a key element in the sentencing of the activist-turned-lawmaker.
Accusation Regarding Vaccine Distribution

Rukchanok Srinok, a parliamentarian with the Move Forward Party, was found guilty of defamation for social media posts made in 2020. One of these posts specifically accused the government of leveraging the distribution of Covid-19 vaccines as a means to promote the monarchy's public image. The court's interpretation was that this statement was defamatory in nature.
Broader Lese-Majeste Context

This conviction occurred under Thailand's lese-majeste law, which is known for its strictness and protects the king, queen, heir, and regent from criticism. The law carries a potential jail sentence of 15 years for each perceived insult to the monarchy. Rukchanok's case involved two posts made on the social media platform X.
Sentencing and Appeal

The court sentenced Rukchanok to six years in prison for the lese-majeste offenses. Her lawyer indicated that she intends to appeal the sentence, and her status as a member of parliament for Bangkok is also uncertain, pending a decision on bail. The court noted that during cross-examination, Rukchanok did not present evidence to prove her innocence, which it deemed unusual behaviour for a Thai person.

Reading history

Hide →

This history is cleared when the page is closed.

What defamation did the court find in claims about Covid vaccine distribution?

Loading

Was this article helpful?

Helpful

Not helpful

Report an issue

1

0

0

Share with friends