The European Union has expressed "deep concern"
over a suspended prison sentence handed down to the Prachatai webmaster
for comments posted on her website by other people which were deemed to
be insulting to the monarchy.
An eight-month suspended jail sentence was handed down to Ms Chiranuch, 44, by a Bangkok court on Wednesday.
"The EU expresses its deep concern about the damaging effects of a guilty verdict, and the ensuing conviction, on freedom of expression in Thailand by criminalising intermediaries for content posted by other internet users on websites," the EU delegation in Bangkok said yesterday.
The case comes amid heated debate about a surge of prosecutions under laws criminalising criticism of the monarchy, commonly referred to as the lese majeste laws.
Web giant Google said the sentence set a legal precedent that would compromise companies hosting internet platforms, and pose a danger to web users.
The "guilty verdict for something somebody else wrote on her website is a serious threat to the future of the internet in Thailand", a Google spokesman said following the court's ruling.
Danny O'Brien, of the Committee to Protect Journalists, served as an expert witness during the trial. He said Ms Chiranuch's conviction shows internet bystanders can still be caught up in expensive and uncertain criminal prosecutions for postings on their site which they did not write, edit or support.
Critics say politically motivated charges under tough royal defamation laws are increasingly common.
The country has been rocked by periods of civil unrest instigated by rival factions since a 2006 coup by royalist generals ousted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Ms Chiranuch's time in court is not over. She faces a second trial under the kingdom's lese majeste laws that could result in a maximum sentence of 15 years on each charge.
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