A crusading online reporter from alternative news site Prachatai has taken this year's Agence France-Presse (AFP) Kate Webb Prize for her coverage of royal defamation cases, as debate reignites on freedom of expression versus the lese majeste laws in Thailand.
The award ceremony was held at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand in Bangkok.
Mutita Chuachang, 33, a Thammasat University graduate and Bangkok native, was joined at the ceremony by her mother, from Chon Buri province, and her colleagues from Prachatai, which publishes in Thai and English.
Mutita: Exposes 'justice deficit'
Philippe Massonnet, AFP director for Asia-Pacific, gave the award to Ms Mutita for "her powerful and persistent reporting of royal defamation cases that have multiplied under the country's military rulers".
The prize honours journalists working in difficult conditions in Asia, and is named after crusading AFP reporter Kate Webb who died in 2007 at the age of 64 after a career covering wars and other historic events.
"We are recognising Mutita for her efforts to present balanced, in-depth coverage of sensitive topics in Thailand, which can be difficult in an extremely dynamic political environment," said Mr Massonnet.
By raising awareness of the bizarre nature of the lese majeste trials, she often faced the risk of being jailed for up to 15 years for defaming the King, Queen, and heir or regent by explaining the alleged offences.
Her job has become even more precarious since the junta seized power in May last year as many defendants have faced trials in military courts -- without the right to appeal and in some cases under secrecy.
Mutita, who has worked for Prachatai since its inception a decade ago, started off focusing on lawsuits facing protesters following the government's crackdown on anti-government red-shirt activists in April-May 2010. "It's started from simply reporting what happened but as the conflicts raged on, I learned that many people who were arrested and put behind bars were just simple folk who became active citizens," she told the Bangkok Post.
They were arrested for small offences such as violating the emergency decree, and for larger ones such as carrying or possessing weapons in public places, assaulting soldiers, torching provincial halls, and expressing political opinions that were deemed to violate Section 112, or the so-called lese majeste law, she said.
"Tracing these lawsuits has shown how deep and bitter the political divides in Thai society have become. We can see clearly beyond the polarisation dilemma that these people have had their basic rights breached and curbed," said Mutita.
"By weaving behind-the-scenes stories and observing the lengthy trials myself, I have helped the public understand why the judiciary has become part of the so-called 'justice deficit' problem," she added.