A Thai journalist and political activist has been jailed for 11 years in the latest tough sentence under the kingdom's controversial royal defamation law, to the dismay of human rights defenders.
The European Union said it was "deeply concerned" by the punishment imposed on Somyot Prueksakasemsuk(51) in connection with two articles that appeared in his magazine in 2010.
The verdict seriously undermines the right to freedom of expression and press freedom," the EU delegation in Bangkok said in a statement.
Amnesty International, which considers Somyot to be a "prisoner of conscience", described the Bangkok Criminal Court ruling as "a serious setback for freedom of expression in Thailand".
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