American academic faces years in jail after being charged with insulting Thai monarchy

CNN — 

A prominent American academic working in Thailand could face years in jail after being charged with insulting the monarchy, in a rare case of a foreign national allegedly falling foul of the kingdom’s strict lese majeste law.

Paul Chambers, a lecturer at Naresuan University in central Thailand who writes analysis on the kingdom’s military and politics, was formally charged when he presented himself to police on Tuesday, and appeared in court.

Thailand has some of the world’s strictest lese majeste laws, and criticizing the king, queen, or heir apparent can lead to a maximum 15-year prison sentence for each offense. Anyone can file a lese majeste complaint and sentences for those convicted can be decades long, with hundreds of people prosecuted in recent years.

Chambers’ lawyer, Wannaphat Jenroumjit, said a warrant for his arrest was issued last week after a complaint was filed by a regional army command. Alongside lese majeste, Chambers is also facing charges under the Computer Crimes Act.

“He was accused of publishing a blurb on (Singapore’s Institute of Southeast Asian Studies) website in connection with an ISEAS webinar in October 2024 about military reshuffles,” said Akarachai Chaimaneekarakate, advocacy lead for Thai Lawyers for Human Rights and part of Chambers’ legal team.

“He denied all charges. He neither wrote nor published the blurb on the website,” said Akarachai.

Speaking ahead of Tuesday’s court appearance, Chambers told CNN he had been told little about why he was charged and feared he “could be imprisoned for 15 years.”

Chambers is being held in custody after being denied bail. His lawyers have submitted another bail request in an effort to prevent him from being held in pre-trial detention.

Chambers is a scholar, author and lecturer at Naresuan University’s Centre of ASEAN Community Studies, and frequently contributes insights to news articles on Southeast Asia, including to CNN.

dvocates say the charges pose “a grave threat to academic freedom in the country.”

“Unlike other lese majeste cases, this case involves an extremely well-established academic whose work focuses very deeply on the civil-military relations in Thailand and whose expertise is widely acknowledged within the academic community,” said Akarachai.

The US Department of State said on Monday that it was “concerned” by the reports of Chambers arrest and is providing consular assistance.

“The United States strongly supports freedom of expression around the world. We regularly urge Thai authorities, both privately and publicly, to protect freedom of expression in accordance with Thailand’s international obligations,” a State Department spokesperson told CNN.

Thailand’s conservative, military-backed establishment has ruled the country on and off for decades, and critics say it routinely uses laws like lese majeste, sedition, and the computer crimes act to silence criticism and opposition.

The military has long had an outsized influence over the country’s politics, despite Thais repeatedly voting overwhelmingly in support of the military’s political and progressive opponents. It has staged 13 successful coups since absolute monarchy rule ended in 1932, the latest in 2014 that ushered in just under a decade of military or military-backed rule.