Thailand jails American for defaming monarchy

Bangkok, Dec 8 (ANI): Thailand has jailed an American citizen for two and a half years for posting web links of a banned biography of King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

Fifty-five-year-old Joe Gordon, from Colorado who was born in Thailand, admitted 'lese majeste', or insulting the king, at an earlier hearing.

He was sentenced to five years in jail, but the judges halved the term because of his guilty plea, The BBC reports.

According to the report, Gordon translated parts of the widely available biography, The King Never Smiles by Paul Handley, several years ago and posted them on a blog while he was living in the US.

He was arrested in May when he visited Thailand for medical treatment.

He initially denied the charges, but said he changed his plea to guilty after being repeatedly refused bail.

After being sentenced, he told the Bangkok court that, "in Thailand there are many laws that don't allow you to express opinions, but we don't have that in America."

According to the report, US officials have repeatedly urged the Thai authorities to ensure freedom of expression, and said the decision to prosecute Gordon was disappointing. (ANI)