Royal pardon for Internet user serving 10-year sentence for lèse majesté

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    Date: 
    1 July 2010

    Reporters Without Borders welcomes the pardon that King Bhumibol Adulyadej issued on 28 June to Suvicha Thakhor, who was serving a 10-year jail sentence on a lèse majesté charge for allegedly using software to modify photos of the royal family before posting them online.

    “Prison was very tough,” Suvicha told Reporters Without Borders after his release. “At first I was completely shattered. I hit rock bottom. I had to fight to survive. Fortunately my family visited me often. I kept going by following the teachings of Buddhism and practising meditation. I now feel fine but I have lost my job. I will probably become a monk for a while.”