CLOSE

Phuketwan’s journalists acquitted of defaming Thai Navy

Phuketwan’s journalists acquitted of defaming Thai Navy

On Tuesday 1 September, the Phuket Provincial Court dismissed all charges against the editor and a journalist for Thai news website, PhuketWan.

PhuketWan had been sued by the Thai navy for a story on the smuggling of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar, in which they quoted from a Reuters report which had discussed alleged involvement in the smuggling by the Thai military.

The Reuters journalists won a Pulitzer Prize for their reporting, but the two journalists for PhuketWan – editor, Alan Morison and Chutima Sidasathian, were charged with criminal libel following a complaint by the Thai navy. If found guilty, they could have spent up to seven years in jail and pay thousands of US dollars in fine.

Dismissing the charges against the two, the Phuket Provincial Court also commented that the Cyber Crime legislation under which the case had been brought should not be used to pursue libel cases against journalists.

Alan Morison and Chutima Sidasathian commented:

“We were elated with the result and pleased to have a courtroom full of supporters and observers to hear what amounts to a victory for media freedom, for Thai justice and for Thailand. Our legal team, led by SR Law, performed magnificently and called up a team of expert defence witnesses who made the allegations look what they truly were – a feeble misuse of laws designed to catch computer hackers and data base thieves, not to unfairly pursue journalists.”

 

MLDI had provided financial support for the defence, and Morison added that ‘the lawyers could not have performed as they did without the support of the Media Legal Defence Initiative, for which we are extremely grateful.

Recent News

Mamunur Rashid Nomani charged with violating Bangladesh’s Digital Security Act

Journalist Mamunur Rashid Nomani, editor of the local online news portal Barishal Khobor, has been charged with violating Bangladesh’s Digital Security Act (DSA), following an accusation claiming that he secretly filmed the mayor of Barisal and his family. Nomani rejects this, alleging instead that he and two of his acquaintances – Kamrul Mridha, working for […]

Read

Media Defence extends partnership with three organisations in sub-Saharan Africa

As part of Media Defence’s project Empowering Women in Digital Rights Advocacy, we are building a strong legal defence network in sub-Saharan Africa. To achieve this goal, we are providing financial assistance to organisations to establish legal aid units or media defence centres. We are excited to announce that, as part of this project, we are extending […]

Read

15 Years of Impact: Internet Shutdowns

This year marks Media Defence’s 15th anniversary. To celebrate this milestone, we will be taking a look at the ways in which freedom of expression has been threatened around the world, and how we have sought to protect it. The internet has become an essential part of modern life. It has transformed the way we […]

Read