Thai student activist charged with lèse majesté will be allowed to study in Germany

The South Bangkok Criminal Court ruled yesterday that a student activist charged with lèse majesté who was barred from studying abroad in Germany earlier this month will now be allowed to study there. The activist, Rawisara Eksakul, nicknamed “Dear”, won a prestigious scholarship for a Master of Management in Non-Profit Organisations. The court was told that Ms Rawisara holds a scholarship from the German Academic Exchange Service, which she will lose if she fails to begin her classes by April 4.

“Lèse-majesté (“to do wrong to majesty”) in Thailand is a crime according to Section 112 of the Thai Criminal Code. It is illegal to defame, insult, or threaten the monarch of Thailand (the king, queen, heir-apparent, heir-presumptive or regent). Modern Thai lèse-majesté law has been on the statute books since 1908. Thailand is the only constitutional monarchy to have…