A 15-year-old girl who spent 50 days in detention on a royal defamation charge was released yesterday afternoon after a court granted her bail, the Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR) said.
Police from Samran Rat station went to the Central Juvenile and Family Court yesterday morning to seek the further detention of Thanalop “Yok” Phalanchai, but the court rejected the request.
She was released shortly after 4pm from the Ban Pranee Juvenile Vocational Training Center for Girls in Nakhon Pathom, where she was held since March 29, greeted by a small crowd of cheering supporters.
Yok’s high-profile case is among 19 involving suspects under the age of 18 being charged with lese-majeste under Section 112 of the Criminal Code. She is the only one to have been detained for a long period, though she is not the youngest.
A teenage girl from Phitsanulok, who was released on bail following a court appearance this week, was 14 when she was charged, TLHR said.
Yok was arrested on March 28, the same day a 24-year-old man was caught spray-painting a “No 112” message on the wall of the Temple of the Emerald Buddha in Bangkok.
Police said at the time that they had a warrant to arrest the girl, accused of insulting the monarchy during a rally in October 2022 in front of the Bangkok City Hall. She was 14 at the time.
According to TLHR data, as of April 30, 1,902 people had been prosecuted for political participation and expression following the Free Youth pro-democracy protests in July 2020.
At least 242 are facing lese majeste charges, and 130 have been charged with sedition, TLHR said.