[JURIST] Testimony began Tuesday in a criminal defamation lawsuit brought on by the Thai Royal Navy [official website] against the website Phuketwan over a report it published claiming the military ignored refugee trafficking from Myanmar in exchange for monetary bribes. The report was originally published in Reuters [media website] in 2013, earning the agency a Pulitzer Prize. The editor, Alan Morison, and journalist Chutima Sidasathien also faces criminal charges under the Computer Crime Act [text, PDF], facing up to seven years in jail and a fine of 300,000 Thai Baht (8,809 USD). The first witness, a navy captain, testified [AP report] that negotiations for a deal failed because the defendants would not agree to publicly apologize for the article. Morison announced [Phuketwan Tourism report] he will have to shut down the website because of the criminal charges and is not sure if the website will start up again.

Thailand has come under international criticism [JURIST op-ed] for laws that prohibit freedom of expression, particularly lèse-majesté laws which criminalize insulting Thai royalty. In March, the Bangkok Military Court sentenced [JURIST report] 67-year-old Opas Chansuksai to 18 months in prison for insulting the monarchy. Two activists were also sentenced to 30 months [JURIST report] in prison for the same crime. A Bangkok Criminal Court sentenced “Red Shirt” supporter Jatuporn Prompan to two years [JURIST report] in prison in January for defaming former prime minister of Thailand Abhisit Vejjajiva. Last August, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights [official website] expressed concern [JURIST report] that the prosecution and sentencing of lèse-majesté cases by Thailand’s ruling military junta threaten citizens’ rights of free expression. The military also banned meetings of more than five people, and imposed a nightly curfew in May of last year.