LESE MAJESTE LAW

Thai opposition faces trial over royal defamation law

Shakeel Sobhan 

DW with AFP, Reuters

 23/04/2026 

Forty-four lawmakers could be banned from office for seeking to change Thailand's strict lese-majeste law, which criminalizes criticism of the monarchy. Critics say it has been used to silence opponents.

Thailand's strict century-old lese-majeste law criminalizes criticism of King Maha Vajiralongkorn and his family with prison terms of up to 15 years per offence

 FILE PHOTO: July 28, 2025

Image: Anusak Laowilas/NurPhoto/picture alliance

Thailand's Supreme Court said on Friday it had accepted a petition accusing 44 current and former opposition lawmakers of ethics violations over a 2021 attempt to amend the country's law protecting the monarchy from criticism.

Those facing trial, starting on June 30, include members of the progressive People's Party and its predecessor, the Move Forward Party.

If found guilty, the lawmakers could face lifetime bans from holding office.

The court said it would not suspend the 10 serving lawmakers named in the case, including People's Party leader Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut and deputy leader Sirikanya Tansakul.

Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut leads the People's Party and is among those to face charges

Image: Sakchai Lalit/AP Photo/picture alliance

What is Thailand's lese-majeste law?

Thailand's strict century-old lese-majeste law, known as Section 112, criminalizes criticism of King Maha Vajiralongkorn and his family.

It carries prison terms of up to 15 years per offence for criticism of the monarchy.

Thai monarchs are still held in extremely high regard by many across the country.

Critics say it has been used to silence political opponents.

Thailand's liberal opposition after Move Forward was blocked from forming a government despite winning the 2023 election, then dissolved in 2024 over its campaign to amend the law, which bans any criticism of the royal family

The party was accused of undermining Thailand's system of governance, in which the king is head of state.

In August 2025, a court in Thailand cleared former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra of breaching the lese-majeste law charges that had left him facing possible prison time.

Conservatives pull off election comeback in Thailand  01:44

Shakeel Sobhan Covering politics, social, and environmental issues in India.

Ex-Philippine president Duterte to stand trial at ICC over deadly ‘war on drugs’

The International Criminal Court on Thursday confirmed crimes against humanity charges against former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte, paving the way for a landmark trial. Duterte is accused of murder and attempted murder linked to his anti-drugs campaign, in a major test for the court amid mounting political pressure.


Issued on: 23/04/2026 
By: FRANCE 24

A poster of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte held by a relative of victims of his anti-drug war crackdown on April 22, 2026. © Aaron Favila, AP

Former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte will face trial at the International Criminal Court (ICC) after judges on Thursday confirmed charges of crimes against humanity over his so-called "war on drugs".

Pre-trial judges "unanimously confirmed all the charges ... against Rodrigo Roa Duterte and committed him to trial," the ICC said in a statement.

Duterte will be the first Asian former head of state to face trial at the ICC, which prosecutes individuals for the world's worst crimes such as war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The court faces the most difficult time in its 24-year history, with the United States sanctioning key judges and officials after the ICC issued arrest warrants for Israel's leader over the Gaza war.

It is unclear whether the 81-year-old Duterte will attend his trial.

His defence team says he is too weak mentally to follow proceedings and he did not appear at a week of hearings to assess the validity of the charges.

Philippines: Ten years after Duterte's war on drugs, families fight for justice

The only time he has been seen since his arrest was an initial appearance via video, where he seemed confused and tired, his speech barely audible.

The pre-trial judges concluded there were "substantial grounds to believe that Duterte is responsible for the crimes against humanity of murder and attempted murder", the ICC statement said.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

Japan scraps a ban on lethal weapons exports in a change of its postwar pacifist policy

Issued on: 21/04/2026
FRANCE24

Japan on Tuesday scrapped a ban on lethal weapons exports, a major change in its postwar pacifist policy as the country seeks to build up its arms industry amid worries over Chinese and North Korean aggression. FRANCE 24's Luke Shrago reports.

Video by: Luke SHRAGO

EU 'must' shift to renewables to end fossil fuel 'blackmail from war-driving authoritarian regimes'

Issued on: 23/04/2026 - FRANCE24
Play (12:12 min)From the show

François Picard is pleased to welcome Hannah Neumann, German MEP, Greens/EFA and Chair of the EU Parliament's Delegation for Iran. She offers analysis on the growing geopolitical instability surrounding Iran, energy security, and the EU’s strategic position in an increasingly fragmented global order. According to Neumann, the central issue is not merely the volatility of negotiations, but their lack of clarity and coherence. From her vantage point, "the main problem is that they don't even have a clear focus on what they are negotiating about".

Neumann argues that current diplomatic efforts suffer from an absence of defined objectives, concerning nuclear policy, maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz, or broader regime-related questions. At the same time, she sheds light on a critical blind spot: the systematic exclusion of Iranian civil society from international discourse, exacerbated by digital repression.

Meanwhile, she places Europe’s vulnerability within its structural dependence on fossil fuels, which exposes it to geopolitical coercion. The wars in the Middle East and Ukraine "show how interconnected these different conflicts are and how absurd the situation is".

Case in point: As the EU has reached a solution with Hungary to offer a €90 billion lifeline to Ukraine, the oil flowing through the Druzhba pipeline also "supports the Russian war economy". She contends that true political autonomy for the European Union can only emerge through a decisive transition to renewable energy. In the meantime, "these war-driving authoritarian regimes can basically blackmail us with their fossil energy".


OUR GUEST  Hannah NEUMANN German MEP, Group of the Greens/EFA

BY: François PICARD

Ilayda HABIP

VIDEO BY: François PICARD

Prize-winning book 'Houris' brings prison term for French-Algerian author Kamel Daoud


French-Algerian author Kamel Daoud says he has been sentenced in Algeria to three years in prison and fined over his award-winning novel “Houris,” which revisits the country’s civil war. The ruling reflects the mounting pressure on authors confronting Algeria’s violent past and raises fresh concerns over freedom of expression.


Issued on: 22/04/2026 
By: FRANCE 24

Algerian writer and journalist Kamel Daoud attends a press conference at the Gallimard publishing house in Paris on December 11, 2024. © AFP, Geoffroy van der Hassel

French-Algerian author Kamel Daoud said Wednesday that he has been sentenced to three years in prison in Algeria for his book “Houris,” a recipient of France’s most prestigious literary award.

The writer, who lives in France, announced on X that the verdict was delivered on Tuesday. He said he was also fined 5 million Algerian dinars ($38,000).

“Houris” (Virgins, in English) focuses on the victims of what Algerians call the “black decade,” when tens of thousands of people were killed as the army fought an Islamist insurgency. The conflict erupted in 1991 after Islamists won a first round of legislative elections, prompting the military-backed government to cancel the second round of voting.

WATCH MORE  2024 Prix Goncourt awarded to Kamel Daoud for his novel 'Houris'

It was awarded the Goncourt Prize, France's top literary award, in 2024.

Daoud said he was convicted under what is known as the Charter for Peace and National Reconciliation, a text adopted by referendum in 2005 that offered widespread pardons to both armed Islamists and security forces.

“The text punishes any public mention of the civil war,” Daoud said. “Ten years of war, nearly 200,000 dead according to estimates, thousands of terrorists granted amnesty … and only one guilty party: a writer.”

In addition to the legal action brought by the court in the Algerian city of Oran, Daoud is the target of two international arrest warrants issued by Algeria in May 2025 and is also under threat of being stripped of his Algerian nationality.

Another French-Algerian writer, Boualem Sansal, has faced similar problems.

READ MORE  'Insult to injury': What’s behind the rising tensions between France and Algeria?

The author – whose works have been critical of Islam, colonialism and contemporary Algerian leaders – was convicted of undermining national unity and insulting public institutions and was sentenced to five years in prison under Algeria’s anti-terrorism laws.

He was granted a humanitarian pardon in Algeria after an appeal by Germany's president, and returned to France last year after serving a year in prison.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

MAN RAY'S MUSE

New Paris exhibition showcases work of US photographer and war reporter Lee Miller


Issued on: 23/04/2026 -
Play (06:17 min)From the show\


In this edition of Entre Nous we're talking to Fanny Schulmann, curator-in-chief at the Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris, which is dedicating a major retrospective to the American photographer Lee Miller. The exhibition traces the dazzling career of an artist whose life was as intense as her work. From New York to Paris, Cairo to London, Miller captured the world with rare sensitivity and uncompromising audacity. Schulmann tells us more about the exhibition.

BY: Delano D'SOUZA

Twenty years, one question: What does it mean to be Black and European?




Issued on: 23/04/2026 - FRANCE24

Play (12:06 min)From the show


For 20 years, British photographer Johny Pitts has been travelling around Europe with a camera and a question: what does it actually mean to be Black and European? His answer fills a room at the Maison Européenne de la Photographie in Paris. "Black Bricolage" brings together photographs, notebooks and documents from cities across the continent – Paris, Berlin, Lisbon, Marseille and Brussels – capturing the ordinary lives that rarely make the front page.


Eve Jackson meets the man who made the word "Afropean" his life's work – a term born in the world of music that he turned into a 20-year photographic journey across the continent – to talk identity, colonial ghosts, the racist backlash facing a Paris mayor and a Harry Potter actor, and why he believes Europe has a picture of itself it hasn't yet dared to look at.

BY:

Eve JACKSON

Solène CLAUSSE

Stéphane BODENNE

Magali FAURE

Amélia MARADAS

Marion CHAVAL

Loïc CHALAVON

Laura DI BIASIO

Giant marble statues guard Italy’s seas from illegal fishing

BY: FRANCE 24
Issued on: 13/04/2026 -
04:19 min

An Italian fisherman has come up with an innovative way to protect the seabed from industrial fishing. He has created an underwater museum featuring 49 marble sculptures, designed to deter illegal trawling vessels. As a result, fish are returning to the area, and marine biodiversity is beginning to thrive once again.

Rescue plan for stranded whale off Germany's coast to be revised

23.04.2026, 07:10 Uhr

Photo: Jens Büttner/dpa

Plans to refloat a stranded humpback whale in shallow waters off Germany's coast have been scrapped, with regional Environment Minister Till Backhaus saying the rescue concept must be revised.

The 12-metre-long male whale, nicknamed Timmy by German media, remains stuck off the small island of Poel near the town of Wismar.

Lifting the animal with air cushions and transporting it using pontoons and a tarpaulin was not an option, Backhaus told reporters late on Wednesday.

A private initiative that had received backing for the plan about a week ago is now working on a revised approach, he said. Any further measures must be scientifically sound, take into account the animal's condition and be coordinated with authorities.

Experts from the International Whaling Commission (IWC) recommend a calm, palliative approach. Backhaus said that this assessment was consistent with earlier scientific advice that active rescue attempts would be unlikely to succeed and could pose significant risks.

The whale briefly swam off on Monday after three weeks in one spot but stopped after about two hours near the entrance to Wismar Bay, which leads to the Baltic Sea.

A tracking device has since been attached in case it moves again.

Recent efforts have focused on easing pressure on the whale's body by reshaping the seabed so it lies more supported in the water. Its back has also been covered with wet cloths to protect it from the sun.

The handling of the case has drawn criticism. Backhaus said the private initiative had not received formal approval but was being tolerated under German law, which allows assistance to distressed animals. Animal welfare remained the sole guiding principle, he said, with veterinarians on site around the clock.

Timmy has been stranded in Wismar Bay since March 31 after repeatedly running aground in recent weeks at various points along the Baltic coast.

(c) 2026 dpa Deutsche Presse Agentur GmbH

Scientists, authorities divided over fate of stranded whale in Baltic Sea


Issued on: 20/04/2026 
05:28 min


Timmy, a humpback whale, first became stuck off Germany's Baltic coast in late March. The animal’s plight has since gripped the public and raised questions about whether humans should intervene to save wild animals. While a rescue mission funded by two German millionaires is underway, marine biologists warn the whale has no chance of survival and are urging the public to reflect on humanity's role in the degradation of marine habitats. 

FRANCE 24's Environment Editor Valerie Dekimpe takes a closer look.
BY: Valérie DEKIMPE

Why supporters of Burkina Faso’s junta leader are campaigning against a Sky News journalist


Yousra Elbagir, a journalist with British TV channel Sky News, has become the target of a smear campaign by supporters of Burkina Faso's junta leader Captain Ibrahim Traoré after she raised questions about security in the country and the repression of free speech.


Issued on: 21/04/2026 
By: The FRANCE 24 Observers

Supporters of Burkina Faso President Ibrahim Traoré have been carrying out a smear campaign against Sky News journalist Yousra Elbagir since April 10, 2026. © Facebook


Supporters of Burkina Faso's junta leader Captain Ibrahim Traoré have unleashed a tidal wave of hate against a Sky News journalist after she published a news report critical of his policies.

Traoré, who took power in a coup in September 2022, sat down for an interview with Sky News Africa correspondent Yousra Elbagir on April 2. Elbagir asked Traoré about restrictions on freedom of expression in Burkina Faso and about the worsening security situation in the country, which has a growing jihadist insurgency.

Elbagir’s report, filmed in Ouagadougou, was published online on April 10. She reports on the security struggles faced by the government as a jihadist group continues to carry out attacks across the country, as well as the government’s repression of the opposition. During her interview with Traoré, Elbagir raised questions about both the failures of the military strategy put into place by the Burkina Faso army and the curtailing of the freedom of expression.

A wave of harassment

Upset by the report criticising their leader, many Traoré supporters started attacking Elbagir online, calling her everything from a "mercenary of the pen” to a “bat”, with AI-generated images to illustrate their insults. Other social media users shared rumours about her family, claiming that her father Ahmed Elbagir is actually an agent with the British intelligence and that her sister, also a journalist, is an “influence agent”.

Supporters of Ibrahim Traoré have been harassing Sky News journalist Yousra Elbagir online since April 10, 2026. © Facebook

Other Traoré supporters tried to harass the journalist on WhatsApp by circulating a phone number they claimed was hers. They also claimed that Elbagir’s number had been made public by a pro-Traoré group called the "BIR-C" (or Battalion for Rapid Communications Interventions) which appears to operate as a sort of online militia for the regime.
Communications battle

Facebook pages and groups that claim links with the BIR-C also say that they are engaged in a "communications battle” with Sky News. They claim that they managed to get Elbagir’s report taken down from YouTube by publishing hundreds of negative comments.

However, this claim is false. While Sky News did take down the initial version of Elbagir’s report, they published another version soon after and said it was due to a production error.

The caption on the video now reads, “This is a re-edit of a video posted on 9 April in which there was a production error. The original video mistakenly included some footage from Mali and Benin. In this version, that has been replaced by correct footage showing Burkina Faso.”

You can see the excerpts included by error (here and here) in an original version of the video posted on Facebook.

Traoré supporters have also been making another false claim. They say that Elbagir broke into tears mid-interview “after more than 15,000 social media users from across the world called her a liar and a manipulator after her reporting in Burkina". The photo of Elbagir crying, which social media users have been sharing as “proof” of this story, was actually taken from a report Elbagir filmed in Sudan in April 2025. We found it on YouTube using a reverse image search (to find out how to carry out one yourself, see our handy guide).

Pro-Traoré social media users shared this image on Facebook on April 13, 2026, claiming that it showed Yousra Elbagir crying about criticism of her recent report in Burkina Faso. In reality, this comes from a report that Elbagir filmed in Sudan in 2025. © Facebook

A controversy over control of the territory

Elbagir was also a victim of online attacks because she questioned Traoré’s security policies. During the interview, Elbagir said that jihadist groups now control 60 percent of the country. This differs from the official government narrative that the government has full control of 74 percent of the country.

Our team spoke to Héni Nsaibia, a senior analyst specialised in West Africa at Armed Conflict Location & Event Data, an independent group that monitors armed conflicts. Nsaibia said that it is important to have a more precise and nuanced discussion about the question of territorial control:


"There are very few territories that are under full control of any party. When we speak about control, it’s actually more of a spectrum between influence, contestation and control.

The influence of Jama’at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM), an Al-Qaeda affiliated group, is growing in Burkina Faso. While it doesn’t solidly control 60 percent of the territory, you could say that JNIM contests or asserts influence over 60 to 70 percent."

Nsaibia agrees with Elbagir that the security situation in Burkina Faso is only getting worse:


"The regime is trying to demonstrate that it is making progress, but we see that in reality the security situation is not getting better. Burkina’s armed forces are definitely trying their best, but so far, they have not held the ground. Government control over territory in Burkina Faso tends to be broken up; it is more like an archipelago. About 40 localities in Burkina Faso are under blockade by armed groups."

‘Attacking people’

Why is such a massive campaign being waged against Elbagir?

First of all, there is a push to attack any narrative that doesn’t align with the propaganda from Burkina’s authorities, such as the worsening of the security situation.

Ilaria Allegrozzi, Senior Sahel Researcher at Human Rights Watch, was also a victim of an online campaign of harassment after the publication on April 2 of a report in which the NGO stated that the Burkina army was thought to be responsible for the deaths of 1,255 civilians since 2023. The report attributes another 582 civilian deaths to the jihadist group JNIM. Allegrozzi, who receives dozens of derogatory messages a day, told us about how Traoré’s supporters operate:

"The supporters of the military junta are not taking it well at all that we revealed a worrying situation in terms of human rights violations, including abuses carried out by the security forces. It’s hard for them to counter the proof in our report, so they resort to attacking people.”

Traoré's supporters are also broadening their criticism.

"Their discourse is no longer just anti-France, but anti-Western. Human Rights Watch was targeted, just like Sky News, because it is seen as a Western institution," Allegrozzi says.

The harassment, she says, is “very well-organised.”

“It’s not just one person sending messages, but a group of people who are part of a government-sponsored communications strategy.”
Why Elbagir’s reporting was viewed as undermining government communications

Finally, the supporters' infuriated reaction to Elbagir’s report might also be because it runs counter to the way the government has tried to portray itself to English-speaking countries.

On X, one social media user wrote, “Yousra Elbagir has exposed years of ‘com' from Burkina authorities aimed at the English-speaking public. And her supporters have been pissed off ever since.”

As the FRANCE 24 Observers team has reported in previous articles, the Burkina authorities have launched several propaganda campaigns aiming to raise Traoré’s popularity abroad. They’ve met with some success.

For example, in May 2025, hundreds of fake, AI-generated music videos singing Traoré’s praises were produced in Nigeria. They were meant to reach people living in English-speaking African nations as well as those in the United States.

In reponse to Elbagir’s report, Traoré’s supporters said that they were ready to attack any criticism from abroad. One media outlet which supports the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), which includes Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso – posted this warning:

"The time for complacency is over. The era where any foreign media outlet could strut into Ouagadougou to spit on our institutions is finished.”

A media outlet that is in favour of the Alliance of Sahel (AES) used this photo of Sky journalist Yousra Elbagir to announce its campaign against foreign media outlets on April 15, 2026. © Facebook


This article has been translated from the original in French.