Swiss Man Jailed For 10 Years For Lese Majeste

[george]

Swiss man jailed for 10 years for lese majeste

CHIANG MAI: -- A Swiss man was jailed for 10 years Thursday on charges of insulting His Majesty the King by vandalising His portraits during a drunken spree.

Oliver Jufer, 57, had pleaded guilty to five counts of lese majeste -- the crime of offending the dignity of a sovereign -- for defacing several portraits of His Majesty with spray paint in the northern city of Chiang Mai.

He had faced up to 75 years in prison, but the court sentenced him to 20 years and then halved the term because Jufer had confessed.

"The court has punished him for insulting the King. This is a serious crime, and he was sentenced to four years for each of five counts, for a total of 20 years," judge Pitsanu Tanbuakli said.

"Because he confessed, the court has reduced his sentence to 10 years," he said.

Jufer's court-appointed lawyer did not attend the sentencing, and Jufer said nothing as he entered or left the court. Prosecutors declined to comment on the case.

-- Agence France-Presse 2007-03-29

[Jai Dee]

Switzerland accepts jail term for man who insulted Thai king

Switzerland said Thursday it would not seek the release of a Swiss man jailed for 10 years in Thailand for insulting the Thai king.

"We note that the Thai legislation on the basis of which our compatriot was tried is applied with great rigour," Swiss foreign ministry spokesman Jean Philippe Jeannerat told AFP after the sentencing of Oliver Jufer, 57.

Jufer had pleaded guilty to five counts of lese majeste -- the crime of offending the dignity of a sovereign -- for defacing portraits of King Bhumibol Adulyadej with spray paint in the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai.

The lese majeste laws are strictly applied in Thailand.

Jeannerat said the jail term had been applied according to Thai law and would not comment on the length of the jail term. Swiss authorities would not ask the Thai government to free Jufer, he said, highlighting that Jufer has one month to appeal.

"The Swiss government does not intervene with authorities in cases where the procedure followed conformed to basic judicial principles," said the spokesman.

"Our compatriot was arrested on the basis of clearly established legislation. He knows why he was arrested, he had the assistance of a defence lawyer and he has the possibility to appeal," Jeannerat said.

Jufer has been living in Thailand for about 10 years and has a Thai wife. He was arrested in December as the country celebrated the 79th birthday of its revered monarch.

While drunk, he was filmed by security cameras spray painting the king's portraits.

Source: AFP - 29 March 2007