A Thai court ordered the release on bail of an American academic whose detention on charges of insulting the monarchy had alarmed U.S. officials, a legal aid group representing him said on Thursday.
The authorities confiscated the passport belonging to the academic, Paul Chambers, and placed an ankle monitor on him as they decide whether to indict him, said Akarachai Chaimaneekarakate, an attorney for Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, which is representing Dr. Chambers.
Dr. Chambers, a lecturer in political science at Naresuan University in Thailand, was detained on Wednesday on lèse-majesté charges and jailed in northern Thailand.
Dr. Chambers denied the charges, and a court initially rejected his bail requests. An appeals court granted his release, and he was freed on Thursday at around 1 a.m. on bail of 300,000 baht, or about $8,800, his lawyers said in a statement.
His lawyers had argued to the appeals court that Dr. Chambers had not published any material that could be defamatory to the king, and that he did not pose a flight risk as he had strong ties to Thailand after living there for the past three decades.
Dr. Chambers can’t leave Thailand without court approval and must report to the immigration bureau every 30 days, Mr. Chaimaneekarakate said. The scholar, whose visa has been revoked, also faces the risk of deportation.
Thailand’s lèse-majesté laws are among the world’s strictest. Charges under the laws, which forbid defaming, insulting or threatening royalty, carry a minimum sentence of three years and a maximum of 15 years. It is rare for a foreigner to be detained under the laws.
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