Two Thai journalists arrested for reporting on vandalism on a Bangkok temple wall where graffiti was spray-painted against a pro-monarchy law were released on bail Tuesday, a lawyers’ group said.
The arrests, made separately on Monday, nearly a year after the incident, generated widespread criticism from several rights groups about the state of press freedom in Thailand.
The Royal Palace police station, which made the arrests, said Nutthaphol Meksobhon, a reporter for the independent online media outlet Prachatai, and Natthapon Phanphongsanon, a freelance photographer, were charged with collaborating in vandalizing a historical site. Nutthaphol wrote a note and Natthapon recorded a video of the incident, which was widely circulated.
The offense is punishable by up to seven years in prison and a fine of 700,000 baht ($19,600).
The two journalists arrested said they were only doing their job.
The charges relate to an incident on March 28, 2023, in which a 25-year-old activist spray-painted an anarchist symbol and the number 112 across a line on the outer wall of the revered Temple of the Emerald Buddha, which is located inside the Grand Palace complex.
The number 112 refers to an article in the Thai penal code that outlaws insults to the monarchy and carries a 15-year prison sentence. Critics say the law is often used as a tool against political dissent.
Amnesty International Thailand director Piyanut Kotsan called the arrests “a direct violation of press freedom.”
The Journalists Association of Thailand said the charge of acting in support of a criminal act undermines the rights and freedoms of the media to do their work.