An Australian author and teacher jailed for three years for insulting Thailand's crown prince in a little-read 2005 novel has applied for a royal pardon, his lawyer said Thursday.
The case against 41-year-old Harry Nicolaides, who was sentenced Monday, is one of a slew of lese-majeste investigations in Thailand that rights groups say are stifling freedom of speech and political dissent, reported Reuters.
Nicolaides' Melbourne-based lawyer gave no details of the pardon request, other than to say it was lodged with the palace Wednesday.
Lese-majeste, or insulting the monarchy, is a very serious offence in Thailand, where many people regard 81-year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej as semi-divine.
It is punishable by up to 15 years in prison although convictions, especially of foreigners, are rare and are normally followed quickly by a pardon.
Tuesday, police filed formal charges against a Thai leftist political commentator, accusing him of insulting the king in a 2007 book criticising the previous year's military coup.
Giles Ungpakorn of Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University denied all the charges.
A Swiss man, Roland Jufer, was sentenced to 10 years in 2007 for spraying black paint on pictures of the king but was pardoned at Thai New Year in mid-April after serving only four months. Jufer was deported as soon as he was released.