Rights group urges Thailand to release US scholar detained for alleged insults against monarchy – JURIST

Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged Thai authorities on Tuesday to release US scholar Paul Chambers following his arrest on charges of lèse majesté and cybercrime.

HRW holds that the use of royal insult laws in Thailand to prosecute primarily foreigners amounts to possible violations of human rights. Asia director at HRW Elaine Pearson said, “The baseless prosecution of Paul Chambers poses a serious threat to academic freedom and free speech in Thailand”. HRW requests the immediate release of Paul Chambers, urging governments and UN agencies to act to protect human rights. Pearson argues, “As a new member of the UN Human Rights Council, the Thai government should be taking concrete steps to promote human rights rather than undermining them”.

The US Department of State has recently commented on Chamber’s arrest, stating, “Consular officers from the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok are providing all appropriate consular assistance to Mr. Chambers”. Furthermore, Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce recalled the US concerns with the use of imprisonment for insulting the monarchy in Thailand.

Chambers was arrested on April 8, 2025. He was charged for lèse majesté under Article 112 of the Thai Penal Code, carrying a term of imprisonment of up to 15 years for insulting or defamating the royalty. Moreover, Chambers was accused of cybercrimes under Article 14 of Thailand’s Computer-Related Crime Act. The arrest warrant was brought for a blurb that Chambers allegedly wrote for a webinar on Thai forces, which claimed the army was critical of the monarchy.

Chambers rejected all the allegations brought against him. Despite this, the Phitsanulok provincial court denied his bail application, and Chambers remains in pre-trial detention, as confirmed by HRW.

Lèse majesté laws raise serious human rights concerns. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) protects the right to freedom of expression under Article 19. General comment No.34 on Article 19 by the UN Human Rights Committee specifies the law shall not provide more severe penalties based solely on the identity of the offended, in this case the monarchy, nor shall it limit criticism against institutions. The UN has already been critical of Thailand’s use of these laws. In November 2024, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention urged the Thai government to release a human rights lawyer unjustly detained under lèse majesté laws, violating international norms.