Thai activist gets prison for posting BBC story about king
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A court in Thailand has sentenced a student activist to 2 1/2 years in prison on the charge of lese majeste — or insulting the monarchy — for sharing a BBC article about the country's new king on Facebook.
The lawyer for Jatupat "Pai Dao Din" Boonpattararaksa said his client was initially sentenced Tuesday to five years by the court in the northeastern province of Khon Kaen, but had his sentence halved because he pleaded guilty.
Jatupat was arrested in December for sharing a profile of King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun that was posted online by the BBC's Thai-language service. It included mentions of the king's personal life, including details of three marriages that ended in divorce and other material Thai news media can publish only at their own peril.