lèse-majesté

File:Lese-majeste (January 2023).svg

On 31 January 2022, a woman in Belarus was handed an 18-month prison sentence for "insulting" the country's president, Alexander Lukashenko, and other authorities after pictures mocking the officials were found on her phone.{{cite news |date=31 January 2022 |title=Two More Belarusians Sentenced For 'Insulting' Lukashenka |url=https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-prison-sentences-insulting-lukashenka/31679926.html |access-date=6 December 2022 |publisher=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty}}

In Denmark, the monarch is protected by the usual libel paragraph (§267 of the Danish Penal Code which allows for up to four months of imprisonment), but §115 allows for doubling of the usual punishment when the reigning monarch is target of the libel. When a queen consort, queen dowager or the crown prince is the target, the punishment may be increased by 50%.{{cite web |url=https://www.retsinformation.dk/Forms/R0710.aspx?id=113401 |title=Straffeloven |trans-title=The Penal Code |language=da |work=Retsinformation |access-date=26 January 2017 |trans-work=Legal Information}} There are no historical records of §115 having ever been used, but in March 2011, Greenpeace activists who unfurled a banner at a dinner at the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference were charged under this section.{{cite news|title=COP-15 activists in lèse majesté case|newspaper=Politiken|url=http://politiken.dk/newsinenglish/ECE1209764/cop-15-activists-in-lse-majest-case/|date=1 March 2011|access-date=1 March 2011|location=Copenhagen}} They were acquitted of the charge relating to the monarch but received minor sentences for other crimes.Københavns Byret (22-08-2011). [http://www.domstol.dk/KobenhavnsByret/nyheder/domsresumeer/Pages/Greenpeace-aktivisterid%C3%B8mtbetingetf%C3%A6ngseli14dage.aspx Greenpeace-aktivister idømt betinget fængsel i 14 dage.] (in Danish).

Insulting a foreign dignitary, their representatives or family members, or desecrating their flag or anthem can be punished by up to two years of imprisonment according to the Penal Code §247 and §249.{{Cite web|title=Karistusseadustik–Riigi Teataja|url=https://www.riigiteataja.ee/akt/184411?leiaKehtiv|access-date=2021-12-14|website=riigiteataja.ee}}

{{further|Freedom of speech by country#Germany}}

Until 2017, it was illegal to publicly insult foreign heads of state. On 25 January 2017, the German justice minister Heiko Maas announced a decision by the cabinet to remove this law from the German criminal code, effective 1 January 2018.{{cite web |url=https://www.dw.com/en/berlin-abolishing-slander-law-on-insulting-foreign-leaders/a-37268893 |publisher=Deutsche Welle |title=Berlin abolishing slander law on insulting foreign leaders |date=25 January 2017 |access-date=30 July 2017}} The decision came several months after Chancellor Angela Merkel announced in April 2016 a controversial decision to honour the Turkish government's request to prosecute a German comedian for reading an obscene poem about Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on late-night television. In that announcement, Merkel also stated the intention to consider repeal of the little-known law.{{cite web |url=https://theintercept.com/2016/04/15/germany-repeal-dumb-law-first-using-prosecute-comic-insulting-erdogan/ |work=The Intercept |title=German Chancellor Refuses to Block Prosecution of Comic Who Insulted Turkey's President |date=15 April 2016 |access-date=30 July 2017}} The prosecution was dropped in November 2016.

Insulting the federal president is still illegal,{{cite web |title=German Criminal Code, Section 90 Disparagement of Federal President |url=https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/englisch_stgb/englisch_stgb.html#p1002 |access-date=16 December 2018 |website=Gesetze im Internet |publisher=Federal Ministry of Justice |language=en |trans-website=Laws on the Internet}} but prosecution requires the authorisation of the president. However, members of the Bundestag can and have been sanctioned for denouncing the head of state during debates. Given that the president is recognized as an unbiased symbol of unity, it is not considered appropriate or acceptable for politicians to criticise them in public.

Insulting a country, foreign head of state, its representatives or flag can be punished by up to two years of imprisonment according to the 95th article of the penal code. For a very serious breach, the term can be extended to six years.{{cite web |url=http://www.althingi.is/lagas/nuna/1940019.html#G95 |title=Almenn hegningarlög |trans-title=General Penal Code |language=is |access-date=27 January 2017}}

Impugning the honour or prestige of the president of Italy is punishable with one to five years in jail.{{cite web |title=Italian Penal Code, article 278 |language=it |url=https://www.gazzettaufficiale.it/atto/serie_generale/caricaArticolo?art.versione=2&art.idGruppo=22&art.flagTipoArticolo=1&art.codiceRedazionale=030U1398&art.idArticolo=278&art.idSottoArticolo=1&art.idSottoArticolo1=10&art.dataPubblicazioneGazzetta=1930-10-26&art.progressivo=0#art |website=Gazzetta Ufficiale |access-date=9 February 2021}} This includes personal offences made regarding their exercise of powers or otherwise, with no distinction between past or current events or between the public and private spheres.{{cite web|title= Art. 278 Codice Penale - Brocardi|url=https://www.brocardi.it/codice-penale/libro-secondo/titolo-i/capo-ii/art278.html |language=it}}

In 2019, former Northern League leader Umberto Bossi was sentenced to a year and 15 days in jail after using the racial slur terrone in reference to former president Giorgio Napolitano's southern origins,{{cite web|title=Vilipendio a Napolitano, Cassazione conferma la condanna a Bossi |date=12 September 2018 |url=https://www.repubblica.it/politica/2018/09/12/news/bossi_cassazione_vilipendio_napolitano_condanna-206283233/ |language=it}} but was later pardoned by the then-president Sergio Mattarella.{{cite web|title=Vilipendio, Mattarella ha concesso la grazia a Umberto Bossi |date=5 December 2019 |url=https://www.repubblica.it/politica/2019/12/05/news/mattarella_grazia_vilipendio_bossi-242669260/ |language=it}}

Similarly, it is also illegal to violate the prestige of foreign flags and emblems;{{cite web |title=Italian Penal Code, article 299 |language=it |url=https://www.gazzettaufficiale.it/atto/serie_generale/caricaArticolo?art.versione=2&art.idGruppo=24&art.flagTipoArticolo=1&art.codiceRedazionale=030U1398&art.idArticolo=299&art.idSottoArticolo=1&art.idSottoArticolo1=10&art.dataPubblicazioneGazzetta=1930-10-26&art.progressivo=0#art |website=Gazzetta Ufficiale |access-date=9 February 2021}} a similar law concerning foreign heads of state was repealed in 1999.

In 1966, Dutch cartoonist Bernard Willem Holtrop depicted Queen Juliana of the Netherlands as a window prostitute in the 1st issue of the Provo movement cartoon magazine, "{{ill|God, Nederland en Oranje|nl}}". He was sued for lèse-majesté, but the judge eventually acquitted him of the charge.{{cite web |url=https://www.lambiek.net/artists/w/willem.htm |title=Willem |work=Comiclopedia |publisher=Lambiek |date=2020-08-16 |first=Kjell |last=Knudde |language=en}} Willem moved to France afterwards.

Lèse-majesté of the monarch was punishable with up to five years in prison and/or a fine. The insulting of the Royal Consort, the heir apparent or their consort, or the Regent, was punishable by four years in prison and/or a fine.{{Cite web|last=Koninkrijksrelaties|first=Ministerie van Binnenlandse Zaken en|title=Wetboek van Strafrecht|url=https://wetten.overheid.nl/BWBR0001854/2019-12-15/#BoekTweede_TiteldeelII_Artikel111|access-date=2021-09-06|website=wetten.overheid.nl|language=nl}} In the same vein, the insulting of an allied head of state, who is in the Netherlands in their official capacity, was punishable by up to two years and/or a fine.

In total, 18 prosecutions were brought under the law between 2000 and 2012, half of which resulted in convictions.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-36799639|title=Dutchman jailed for 30 days for 'insulting' the king|date=14 July 2016 |access-date=26 January 2017|work=BBC News}} In October 2007, a 47-year-old man was sentenced to one week's imprisonment and fined €400{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110221124434/http://current.com/news-and-politics/88877763_dutch-man-jailed-for-insulting-the-queen.htm |archive-date=2011-02-21 |url=http://current.com/news-and-politics/88877763_dutch-man-jailed-for-insulting-the-queen.htm|title=Dutch man jailed for insulting the queen |work=current.com}} for, among other things, calling Queen Beatrix a "whore" and telling a police officer that he would have anal sex with her because "she would like it".Rechtbank Amsterdam, 13/420932-07 en 13/421786-06, {{ECLI|ECLI:NL:RBAMS:2007:BB1044}} In July 2016, a 44-year-old man was sentenced to 30 days in jail for "intentionally insulting" King Willem-Alexander, accusing him of being a murderer, thief and rapist.

These laws have been abolished as of 1 January 2020. Insulting the monarch or their consort, the heir apparent or their consort, or the Regent, is now punishable on the same level as public officials in their official capacity, which adds one-third to the maximum severity of the punishment of three months in prison and/or a fine.{{Cite web|last=Koninkrijksrelaties|first=Ministerie van Binnenlandse Zaken en|title=Wetboek van Strafrecht|url=https://wetten.overheid.nl/BWBR0001854/2021-07-01/#BoekTweede_TiteldeelXVI_Artikel267|access-date=2021-09-06|website=wetten.overheid.nl|language=nl}}{{Clarification needed|reason=Is the punishment for insulting the royal family increased over the punishment for insulting public officials acting in official capacity, is the punishment for insulting public officials acting in official capacity increased over the punishment for insulting ordinary citizens, or both?|date=March 2024}} Prosecutions do still take place. On 23 January 2020, an individual was sentenced to 40 hours of community service for insulting Queen Máxima, referring to her as the daughter of a murderer (she is the daughter of Jorge Zorreguieta, who served as a minister in the Argentine military regime of Jorge Rafael Videla).{{cite web|url=https://www.rechtspraak.nl/Organisatie-en-contact/Organisatie/Rechtbanken/Rechtbank-Midden-Nederland/Nieuws/Paginas/Taakstraf-voor-beledigen-koningin-Maxima.aspx|title=Taakstraf voor beledigen koningin Maxima (in Dutch)|date=23 January 2020 |access-date=15 February 2021}}

{{further|Freedom of speech by country#Poland}}

In Poland, it is illegal to insult foreign heads of state publicly.

• On 5 January 2005, left-wing magazine {{lang|pl|Nie}} publisher Jerzy Urban was sentenced by a Polish court to a fine of 20,000 złoty (about €5,000, £3,400 or US$6,200) for having insulted Pope John Paul II, a visiting head of state.{{cite web |url=http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/64210/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070310172429/http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/64210/ |archive-date=2007-03-10 |title=Criminal Defamation Laws Hamper Free Expression |website=International Freedom of Expression Exchange |access-date=22 September 2006}}
• On 26–27 January 2005, 28 human rights activists were temporarily detained by the Polish authorities for allegedly insulting Vladimir Putin, a visiting head of state. The activists were released after about 30 hours, and only one was actually charged with insulting a foreign head of state.{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/6498297.stm |work=BBC News |title=Sensitive heads of state |access-date=30 January 2008}}

Article 135 of the Polish penal code states that anyone who publicly insults ({{langx|pl|kto publicznie znieważa}}) the President of Poland is punishable by up to three years of imprisonment. Prior to March 2021, the Polish Constitutional Tribunal declared the law consistent with the Polish constitution and Polish international treaty obligations, arguing that the effective carrying out of the duties of the president requires having authority and being especially respected.

{{As of|2021}}, there had been at least one conviction, and there were several ongoing legal cases under the law. In December 2020, a man in Toruń was sentenced to six months of community service, 20 hours per month, under lèse-majesté, for having drawn a penis on a poster of president Andrzej Duda. The man's act of writing "five years of shame" on the poster and drawing an "X" symbol on the president's image were not considered insulting by the judge in the final hearing. On 23 March 2021, three pupils appeared in court in Kalisz for a 10-minute incident in June 2020 in Sulmierzyce, in which a family member of a town councillor video-recorded the pupils pulling down a poster of president Andrzej Duda, cutting the poster, using insulting words, and proposing to burn the poster. {{As of|2021|03|23}}, the three pupils risked three years' imprisonment under lèse-majesté.

The writer and journalist Jakub Żulczyk was charged under lèse-majesté in March 2021 for referring to president Andrzej Duda as a "moron" ({{langx|pl|debil}}) in online social media in the context of comments criticising Duda's description of Joe Biden's 2020 United States presidential election victory.

In Portugal, honor is considered to be very important and it's a right protected by the constitution.[https://www.parlamento.pt/sites/EN/Parliament/Documents/Constitution7th.pdf "Article 26.º - (Other personal rights)", Constitution of the Portuguese Republic] The 180th article of the Portuguese penal code establishes the notion of crimes against honor, making any statement of fact or any judgement expressed either verbally, visually or by other means, that is offensive to the honor of an individual either to a 3rd party or to the targeted person — even if it's in the form of suspicion and even if that person is deceased, up to 50 years — a criminal offense punishable with imprisonment of up to 6 months or a fine of up to 240 days.{{Cite web |date= March 15, 1995|lang=pt-PT|title=Decreto-Lei n.°48/95, de 15 de março|trans-title=Decree law No. 48/95, of March 15|series= Series 1-A of 1995-03-15|url=https://diariodarepublica.pt/dr/legislacao-consolidada/decreto-lei/1995-34437675-49698975|work=Republic Diary|access-date=May 10, 2025|type=Decree law|pages=1350-1416|publisher=Ministry of Justice|publication-place=Lisbon}} If the offense is directed towards either the assembly of the republic, the government, the courts, the council of state, the Public Ministry or any member of those, the prison time goes up from 6 months up to 2 years with an added fine. Any crime against the honor of the president is punishable with imprisonment from 6 months up to 3 years with an added fine. It's also illegal to prevent the president of fulfilling the duties of the office, or to incite any resident in Portugal or any member of the military of doing so or to make them rise up against the authority of the president.{{Cite web |date= February 24, 1977|lang=pt-PT|title=Decreto-Lei n.°10/77, de 24 de fevereiro|trans-title=Decree law No. 10/77, of February 24|series= Series 1 of 1977-02-24|url=https://diariodarepublica.pt/dr/detalhe/lei/10-141642|work=Republic Diary n.°46/1977|access-date=May 10, 2025|type=Decree law|pages=288-289|publisher=Assembly of the Republic|publication-place=Lisbon}} If a person is condemned of any of those crimes, and only by request of the accuser, has the sentence publicly known.{{Cite web |date= March 15, 1995|lang=pt-PT|title=Decreto-Lei n.°48/95, de 15 de março|trans-title=Decree law No. 48/95, of March 15|series= Series 1-A of 1995-03-15|url=https://diariodarepublica.pt/dr/legislacao-consolidada/decreto-lei/1995-34437675-49698975|work=Republic Diary|access-date=May 10, 2025|type=Decree law|pages=1350-1416|publisher=Ministry of Justice|publication-place=Lisbon}}

In March 2019, the Russian Federal Assembly passed a law criminalising publication of online statements that are found "indecent" or "disrespectful" towards the President of Russia or other state and government officials, stipulating fines of up to 100,000 roubles for first-time offenders, and 200,000 roubles or up to 15 days imprisonment for repeat offenders.{{cite news |last1=Bennetts |first1=Marc |title=Russia passes law to jail people for 15 days for 'disrespecting' government |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/mar/06/russian-parliament-outlaws-online-disrespect |access-date=19 October 2019 |work=The Guardian |date=6 March 2019}}

File:For_lese_majesty_-1514.jpg by Ferdinand the Catholic]]

Articles 490 and 491 of the criminal code govern "insults to the Crown" ({{langx|es|injurias a la Corona}}). Any person who defames or insults the king, the queen, their ancestors or their descendants can be imprisoned for up to two years.Spain. [https://www.boe.es/eli/es/lo/1995/11/23/10/con Ley Orgánica 10/1995, de 23 de noviembre, del Código Penal] [Constitutional Law 10/1995, of 23 November, on the Criminal Code] (in Spanish). BOE no 281, 24 November 1995. Retrieved 16 July 2019. The Spanish satirical magazine {{lang|es|El Jueves}} was fined for violation of Spain's lèse-majesté laws after publishing an issue with a caricature of the then Prince of Asturias, current King Felipe VI, and his wife engaging in sexual intercourse on the cover of one of their issues in 2007.{{cite news |title=Spain royal sex cartoonists fined |work=BBC News |date=13 November 2007 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7092866.stm |access-date=13 November 2007}}

On 23 December 2020, the Audiencia Nacional summoned 12 individuals accused of offence against the crown for having pulled down mock statues of Christopher Columbus and incumbent King Felipe VI on the Day of Hispanity in Pamplona earlier that year, following a report drawn up by the National Police and Civil Guard, as stated by the accused.{{Cite web|last=EFE|date=2020-12-23|title=La Audiencia Nacional llama a declarar a 12 personas por posible delito contra la Corona|url=https://cadenaser.com/emisora/2020/12/23/radio_pamplona/1608722714_009893.html|access-date=2020-12-23|website=Cadena SER|language=es}}

On 13 March 2018, the European Court of Human Rights ruled against Spain for punishing with imprisonment two protesters in Girona, Catalonia, convicted of burning pictures depicting the King of Spain.{{Cite web|last=Jurídicas|first=Noticias|title=El TEDH condena a España por penar con cárcel la quema de una foto del Rey · Noticias Jurídicas|url=https://noticias.juridicas.com/actualidad/jurisprudencia/12787-el-tedh-condena-a-espana-por-penar-con-carcel-la-quema-de-una-foto-del-rey/|access-date=2021-12-27|website=Noticias Jurídicas|language=es}} On 17 February 2021, there were huge protests over rapper Pablo Hasél's arrest for violation of lèse-majesté laws, among others crimes.{{Cite news|date=2021-02-17|title=Pablo Hasel protests: Thousands demand rapper's release in Spain|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-56082120|access-date=2021-03-06}} Later that year, Belgium denied the extradition to Spain of the Catalan rapper Valtonyc, prosecuted for allegedly insulting the king and incitement to terrorism.{{Cite web|date=2021-12-28|title=Valtònyc {{!}} Bélgica deniega la entrega del rapero a España|url=https://www.lavanguardia.com/politica/20211228/7956320/belgica-deniega-entrega-rapero-valtonyc.html|access-date=2021-12-28|website=La Vanguardia|language=es}}

In Switzerland, it is illegal to insult foreign heads of state publicly.{{cite swiss law|sr=311.0|link=311_0|art=296|en=Swiss Penal Code}}

Any person who publicly insults a foreign state in the person of its head of state, the members of its government, its diplomatic representatives, its official delegates to a diplomatic conference taking place in Switzerland, or one of its official representatives to an international organisation or department thereof based or sitting in Switzerland is liable to a custodial sentence not exceeding three years or to a monetary penalty.

Insulting the King of Bahrain is punishable by up to seven years' imprisonment and a fine of up to 10,000 Bahraini dinars.{{Cite news |date=2014-02-05 |title=Bahrain toughens penalties for insulting king |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/world/bahrain-toughens-penalties-for-insulting-king-idUSBREA140KX/ |access-date=2025-03-09 |work=Reuters}}

Iranian courts have given prison sentences for insulting the Supreme Leader of Iran or the judicial system of Iran.{{Cite news |last=Greenslade |first=Roy |date=2016-08-11 |title=Iranian journalist jailed for 'insulting the supreme leader' |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2016/aug/11/iranian-journalist-jailed-for-insulting-the-supreme-leader |access-date=2023-05-25 |issn=0261-3077}}{{Cite web |date=2020-02-05 |title=Dissidents Sentenced to Prison for 'Insulting' Supreme Leader Facing Additional Charges |url=https://iranhumanrights.org/2020/02/dissidents-sentenced-to-prison-for-insulting-supreme-leader-facing-additional-charges/ |access-date=2023-05-25 |website=Center for Human Rights in Iran}}{{Cite web |last=AFP |title=Iran journalist gets 12 years in jail for 'insulting judiciary' |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/iran-journalist-gets-12-years-in-jail-for-insulting-judiciary/ |access-date=2023-05-25 |website=The Times of Israel |language=en-US}}

In September 2012, pro-reform activists faced charges of lèse-majesté following protests in two locations in Jordan. The protests turned violent after the activists reportedly chanted slogans against the Jordanian regime and insulted King Abdullah II and the Royal Court.{{cite web|url=http://en.ammonnews.net/article.aspx?articleNO=17751 |title=Tafileh Reform Activists to be Charged with Slander, Lese Majeste | Ammon News |publisher=En.ammonnews.net |date=2012-09-13 |access-date=2014-01-06}}

In August 2014, Mohammad Saeed Baker, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood's shura council, was arrested in Jordan and sentenced to six months in prison for lèse-majesté. He was released in February 2015.{{cite web|url=https://jordantimes.com/brotherhood-member-released-after-serving-six-month-prison-term|title=Brotherhood member released after serving six-month prison term|date=2 February 2015|work=The Jordan Times|access-date=26 January 2017}}

In 2021, following an incident where a female Jordanian was sentenced for lèse-majesté after saying that she believed her father was better than the king, King Abdullah II instructed the government to look into cases of lèse-majesté under Article 195 of Jordan's Penal Code, before issuing a pardon for 155 people convicted on charges of insulting the monarch.{{Cite web |date=2021-10-18 |title=Jordan: Lèse-majesté pardon should pave way for larger decriminalization of free speech |url=https://ipi.media/jordan-lese-majeste-pardon-should-pave-way-for-larger-decriminalization-of-free-speech/ |access-date=2025-03-09 |website=ipi.media |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=2021-10-04 |title=PM highlights importance of lèse-majesté pardons |url=https://jordantimes.com/news/local/pm-highlights-importance-l%C3%A8se-majest%C3%A9-pardons |access-date=2025-03-09 |website=The Jordan Times |language=en}}{{Cite news |date=2021-11-15 |title=Jordan King Abdullah pardons 155 lese-majesté convicts |url=https://www.newarab.com/news/jordan-king-abdullah-pardons-155-lese-majeste-convicts |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250123220907/https://www.newarab.com/news/jordan-king-abdullah-pardons-155-lese-majeste-convicts |archive-date=2025-01-23 |access-date=2025-03-09 |work=The New Arab |language=en-EN}}

In the State of Kuwait, a charge of lèse-majesté is punishable with two years' imprisonment.{{cite web | url=https://www.travelawaits.com/2457325/countries-that-will-jail-you-for-insulting-their-leaders/ | title=7 Countries That Will Jail You for Insulting Their Leaders | date=11 September 2018 }} In January 2009 a Kuwaiti-Australian woman spent six months in prison for allegedly insulting the Emir of Kuwait during a dispute with Kuwaiti immigration authorities.{{cite web|url=https://www.smh.com.au/news/national/emir-we-wont-intervene/2009/01/13/1231608677664.html|title=Australia will not intervene as woman held in Kuwait for emir 'insult' - National|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=13 January 2009|access-date=26 January 2017}}{{cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2009-06-23/worst-6-months-of-my-life-says-kuwait-prison-mum/1329912|title='Worst 6 months of my life', says Kuwait prison mum|work=ABC News (Australia)|date=23 June 2009|access-date=7 February 2024}}

In 2013, a Qatari poet was sentenced to 15 years in prison for criticizing former Emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani.{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-qatar-poet-court-idCABRE99K0LM20131021|title=Qatari poet sentenced to 15 years in prison for insulting emir|work=Reuters.com|date=21 October 2013|access-date=11 July 2021}}

Under the counterterrorism law that took effect in 2014, actions that "threaten Saudi Arabia’s unity, disturb public order, or defame the reputation of the state or the king" are considered acts of terrorism.{{cite news|title=Saudi writer arrested for insulting long-dead king|url=https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/saudi-writer-arrested-insulting-king-175970668#sthash.wGGUZRFv.dpuf|access-date=1 June 2016|agency=Middle East Eye|publisher=Middle East Eye|date=15 July 2015}} The offense may carry harsh corporal punishment, including lengthy jail terms and even death, with the sentences potentially determined on a case-by-case basis, owing to the arbitrary nature of the Saudi legal system.{{cite news|title=Pakistani commentator Zaid Hamid sentenced to prison, lashing in Saudi Arabia|url=https://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/saudi-arabia/pakistani-commentator-zaid-hamid-sentenced-to-prison-lashing-in-saudi-arabia-1.1545104|access-date=1 June 2016|work=Gulf News|date=4 July 2015}}

Under Turkish law it is illegal to insult the Turkish nation, the Turkish Republic, Turkish government institutions, and Turkish national heroes. Additionally, according to Law No. 5816, insulting or swearing against the founder and first President of the Republic, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, is a crime punishable by imprisonment from one year to three years. It is also illegal to insult the President of Turkey, with the scope of such indictment affecting comical and satirical depictions.{{Cite news|date=2015-04-16|title=The problem with insulting Turkey's President Erdogan|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-32302697|access-date=2021-05-04}}

• Bahadır Baruter and Özer Aydoğan, two Turkish cartoonists from {{lang|tr|Penguen}}, were arrested for insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.{{Cite web|url=https://cartoonistsrights.org/two-more-turkish-cartoonists-facing-prison/|title = Update: Turkish cartoonists found guilty of 'insulting' Erdogan|date = 23 March 2015}}
• On 18 September 2020, the lawyer of Turkey's president, Hüseyin Aydın, filed a complaint against Greek newspaper {{lang|el|Δημοκρατία}} ({{transliteration|el|Dimokratia}}) over a derogatory headline run.{{Cite web |last=Kilic |first=Baris |date=2020-09-21 |title=Turkish president files complaint against Greek newspaper |url=https://www.aa.com.tr/en/turkey/turkish-president-files-complaint-against-greek-newspaper/1980246 |publisher=Anadolu Agency}} The headline, {{lang|tr|"Siktir Git Mr. Erdogan"}}, meaning "Fuck off Mr. Erdogan" in Turkish, appeared next to the photo of the president. The headline also included an English translation.{{Cite web |date=2020-09-21 |title=Erdogan files complaint over Greek newspaper's insulting headline |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/9/21/erdogan-files-complaint-over-greek-newspapers-insulting-headline |publisher=Al Jazeera}}
• In October 2020, a French political comic magazine, Charlie Hebdo, faced possible charges in Turkey over insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The cover of the magazine involved an image of Erdoğan lifting his wife's dress while sitting in a chair drunk.{{cite web |last1=Karakas |first1=Ismet |last2=Bir |first2=Burak |date=2020-10-28 |title=Charlie Hebdo faces Turkish probe over insulting president |url=https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/charlie-hebdo-faces-turkish-probe-over-insulting-president/2022077 |publisher=Anadolu Agency}}

During the premiership of Pravind Jugnauth, Mauritians were routinely prosecuted for statements deemed offensive to members of the Government. In 2019, Patrick Hofman, a former pilot for Air Mauritius, was deported for having called Prime Minister Jugnauth a "lunatic". Jugnauth had the citizenship law changed so that his absolute authorization would be required for any immigrant who wished to stay in Mauritius. The law was changed specifically to be able to deport Hofman as a "prohibited immigrant", thereby ostracizing him and his Mauritian spouse out of the country.{{cite web | url=https://ionnews.mu/accuse-davoir-traite-pravind-jugnauth-de-fou-patrick-hofman-declare-prohibited-immigrant-28042019/ | title=Accusé d'avoir traité Pravind Jugnauth de «fou», Patrick Hofman déclaré «prohibited immigrant» | date=28 April 2019 | language=fr }} When his Mauritian spouse subsequently died, Hofman was still not allowed to enter Mauritius for her funeral rites. The question was raised directly to Jugnauth himself in Parliament.{{Cite news |last=Rédaction |first=La |date=2021-03-26 |title=Parlement: Pravind Jugnauth interrogé sur Patrick Hofman |url=https://www.lexpress.mu/article/390912/parlement-pravind-jugnauth-interroge-sur-patrick-hofman |access-date=2022-10-20 |website=lexpress.mu |language=fr}}

Similarly, a Mauritian social media law was changed to allow the Government (via the police) to jail anyone who criticized them on social media.{{cite web | url=https://ifex.org/mauritius-amends-law-to-include-harsh-penalties-for-online-content/ | title=Mauritius amends law to include harsh penalties for online content | date=18 November 2018 }} The person targeted would only have to be "annoyed" for the police to arrest the critic. In one case, Hassenjee Ruhomaully and his spouse Farirah were separately taken out of bed to be jailed for having "annoyed" a member of Government.{{cite web | url=https://restofworld.org/2021/mauritius-social-media-law/ | title=This new social media law in Mauritius could land users in prison for "annoyance" | date=12 May 2021 }}{{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahIahBHkPOY | title=Hassenjee Ruhomaully : Zot ine tire mo madam lor so lili et dir li ena ene arrest warrant contre li | via=YouTube | date=22 July 2020 }} The couple was jailed for having shared a photo on Facebook of the Prime Minister's spouse, Kobita Jugnauth,{{Cite web |date=3 July 2022 |title=Révélations de Sherry Singh: amours et désamours |url=https://lexpress.mu/article/410735/revelations-sherry-singh-amours-et-desamours |website=Lexpress.mu |language=fr}} hugging a former adviser.{{cite news |last1=Abel |first1=Vinesen |date=24 October 2018 |title=Photo de Kobita Jugnauth et Sherry Singh: Hassenjee Ruhomally entendu au CCID |url=https://www.lexpress.mu/video/341662/photo-kobita-jugnauth-et-sherry-singh-hassenjee-ruhomally-entendu-au-ccid |newspaper=Lexpress.mu |language=fr}}{{Cite web |date=2020-12-05 |title=Diffusion d'une photo de Kobita Jugnauth et de Sherry Singh sur Facebook : le couple Ruhomaully et Arvind Harris formellement inculpés |url=https://defimedia.info/diffusion-dune-photo-de-kobita-jugnauth-et-de-sherry-singh-sur-facebook-le-couple-ruhomaully-et-arvind-harris-formellement |access-date=2025-03-09 |website=Le Defi Media Group |language=fr}}

In 2022, a former adviser of Jugnauth's, Gerard Sanspeur, was arrested after commenting on a post about the Minister of ICT.{{cite news | url=https://www.lexpress.mu/article/414576/plainte-ministre-balgobin-gerard-sanspeur-entendu-au-ccid | title=Plainte du ministre Balgobin: Gérard Sanspeur entendu au CCID | newspaper=Lexpress.mu | date=12 October 2022 | language=fr }} In an operation of damage control where it was revealed that Jugnauth allowed the Indian Government to illegally tap on the SAFE fiber optic cable in total disregard of the consortium of countries who own the cable, the IT Minister, who has no IT background, falsely claimed that a laptop used to tap this cable would have exploded from the amount of data from the SAFE cable during a public conference.{{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46XIZcBkA_U | title=2022-07-23 - Ecoute conseil Deepak Balgobin, Ministre IT, tension zot computer ECLATER! | via=YouTube | date=23 July 2022 }}

In October 2022, swimmer Bradley Vincent was suspended for three years by the Mauritius Olympic Committee for using "disrespectful words" towards a Mauritian representative and failing to attend a flag raising ceremony during the 2022 Commonwealth Games.{{cite web | url=https://swimswam.com/bradley-vincent-suspended-3-years-for-disrespectful-words-missing-cg-ceremony/ | title=Bradley Vincent Suspended 3 Years for 'Disrespectful Words,' Missing CG Ceremony | date=15 October 2022 }} Vincent came late with three other swimmers, who got away with a severe warning, and was seemingly suspended for having questioned why the athletes did not get the £100 per diem that they had been told they would have.

Moroccans are routinely prosecuted for statements deemed offensive to the king. The minimum penalty for such a statement is one year's imprisonment if the statement is made in private (i.e. not broadcast), and three years' imprisonment if made in public. In either case, the maximum is five years.{{Cite web|url=http://www.pcb.ub.es/idp/docs/marroc/code_presse.pdf|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100106113409/http://www.pcb.ub.es/idp/docs/marroc/code_presse.pdf|url-status=dead|title=PCB.UB.es|archivedate=6 January 2010}}

The cases of Yassine Belassal{{cite web |url=http://www.barcelonareporter.com/index.php?/news/comments/barcelona_fans_plead_for_jailed_supporter_caught_offside_by_king/ |website=BarcelonaReporter.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707213249/http://www.barcelonareporter.com/index.php?%2Fnews%2Fcomments%2Fbarcelona_fans_plead_for_jailed_supporter_caught_offside_by_king%2F |archive-date=7 July 2011 |url-status=usurped |title=Barcelona fans plead for jailed supporter caught offside by king }} and Nasser Ahmed (a 95-year-old who died in jail after being convicted of lèse-majesté), and the Fouad Mourtada affair, revived the debate on these laws and their applications. In 2008, an 18-year-old was charged with "breach of due respect to the king" for writing "God, Homeland, Barça" on a school board, in reference to his favorite football club and satirising the national motto ("God, Homeland, King").

In February 2012, 18-year-old Walid Bahomane was convicted for posting two cartoons of the king on Facebook. The procès-verbal cited two Facebook pages and a computer being seized as evidence. Walid was officially prosecuted for "touching the sacralities".{{cite news|title=Busted for Posting Caricatures of the King on Facebook |url=https://advocacy.globalvoicesonline.org/2012/02/08/morocco-busted-for-posting-caricatures-of-the-king-on-facebook-2/|date=8 February 2012|access-date=9 February 2012}}

Offending the President of Senegal is punishable by a prison sentence of six months to two years and a fine of 100,000 to 1,500,000 CFA (180 to 2,700 USD).{{cite news|title=Singer and Journalist arrested for insulting the President |url=https://monitor.civicus.org/updates/2017/08/25/singer-and-journalist-arrested-insulting-president|date=25 August 2022|access-date=6 December 2022}}

Prosecutions still take place under the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act, punishable by up to one year in jail or a fine of up to Z$4,800 (US$13.26),{{cite news|title=Freelance reporter charged with insulting Zimbabwe's president |url=https://cpj.org/2020/07/freelance-reporter-charged-with-insulting-zimbabwes-president//|date=16 July 2020|access-date=6 December 2022}}

Although Bhutan transitioned from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy in 2008, the country's royalty are still considered gods incarnate, making criticism of the royalty punishable under blasphemy laws.{{Cite web|url=https://roadsandkingdoms.com/2016/know-before-you-go-to-bhutan/|title=21 Things to Know Before You Go to Bhutan|date=22 July 2016}}

Lèse-majesté is a crime in Brunei, punishable with prison sentences of up to three years.{{Cite web|url=https://theculturetrip.com/asia/brunei-darussalam/articles/11-things-that-are-illegal-in-brunei/|title=11 Things That Are Illegal in Brunei|date=8 July 2018}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.brudirect.com/news.php?id=3890|title=Regime Defends Lese Majeste Arrest | Brunei's No.1 News Website|website=brudirect.com}}{{Cite web|url=https://factsanddetails.com/southeast-asia/Brunei/sub5_10a/entry-3602.html|title = MONARCHY OF BRUNEI | Facts and Details}}

In February 2018, the Parliament of Cambodia voted to make insulting any monarch punishable with between one and five years in prison, along with a fine of 2 to 10 million riel.{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-cambodia-politics-idUSKBN1FM219|title=Cambodian government criminalizes insult of monarchy|agency=Reuters |date=2 February 2018|work=Reuters.com}}{{cite news |url=https://www.dw.com/en/cambodia-passes-controversial-lese-majeste-law/a-42578367 |publisher=Deutsche Welle |date=14 February 2018 |title=Cambodia passes controversial lese majeste law |quote=The 123 members of Cambodia's parliament who were present on Wednesday unanimously adopted a law that forbids insulting the monarchy, imposing stiff financial and custodial penalties on those convicted of the crime. The changes to Cambodia's criminal law were initially drawn up by Prime Minister Hun Sen, and include a penalty of between one and five years imprisonment, along with fines of 2 million riel to 10 million riel ($500 to $2,500). "An insult is expressed in words, gestures, writing, painting or objects that affect personal dignity," Pen Panha, head of the parliamentary Commission on Legislation and Justice, told the assembly.}}

In January 2019, a Cambodian man was sentenced to three years in jail for insulting the king in Facebook posts. This was the second sentence handed down under the law.{{Cite news |date=2019-01-09 |title=Cambodian man jailed for insulting king in Facebook posts |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jan/09/cambodian-man-jailed-insulting-king-facebook-posts-lese-majeste-law |access-date=2025-03-09 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077 |agency=Reuters}}

The Indonesian Criminal Code criminalizes defamation of the president and vice president, inherited from similar laws in the Netherlands. It is punishable by imprisonment from 18 to 54 months or a fine from Rp10 million to Rp200 million.{{cite news |last=Pujianti |first=Sri |date=24 January 2023 |title=Mempertanyakan Pasal Penghinaan terhadap Pemerintah |trans-title=Questioning the Article on Insulting the Government |url=https://www.mkri.id/index.php?page=web.Berita&id=18849 |editor-last=Rosihin |editor-first=Nur |work=Constitutional Court of Indonesia (MKRI) |location=Jakarta |access-date=16 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230424072940/https://www.mkri.id/index.php?page=web.Berita&id=18849 |archive-date=24 April 2023 |url-status=live |lang=id}}{{cite web |last1=Widodo |first1=Joko |author1-link=Joko Widodo |last2=Pratikno |author2-link=Pratikno |date=2 January 2023 |title=UU No. 1 Tahun 2023 tentang KUHP |trans-title=Law Number 1 of 2023 concerning Criminal Code |location=Jakarta |publisher=President of Republic Indonesia |pages=71{{ndash}}72, 77{{ndash}}78 |url=https://peraturan.go.id/common/dokumen/ln/2023/uu1-2023.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230105094625/https://peraturan.go.id/common/dokumen/ln/2023/uu1-2023.pdf |archive-date=5 January 2023 |url-status=dead |access-date=10 May 2025 |lang=id}}

In May 2025, an Indonesian female student from the Bandung Institute of Technology was detained for allegedly posting immoral content on social media X targeting Indonesian president Prabowo Subianto and his predecessor Joko Widodo.{{cite news |last=Izzuddin |first=Hammam |editor-last=Bardjan |date=9 May 2025 |title=Indonesian Police Detain Woman Over Viral Meme of Prabowo and Jokowi Kissing |url=https://en.tempo.co/read/2005405/indonesian-police-detain-woman-over-viral-meme-of-prabowo-and-jokowi-kissing |work=Tempo.co |location=Jakarta |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250510124108/https://en.tempo.co/amp/2005405/indonesian-police-detain-woman-over-viral-meme-of-prabowo-and-jokowi-kissing |archive-date=10 May 2025 |access-date=10 May 2025}} Charged with provisions under the Electronic Information and Transactions Law (UU ITE), she faces a potential sentence of up to 12 years’ imprisonment and/or a fine of up to Rp12 billion.{{cite news |last=Hukmana |first=Siti Yona |editor-last=Tondi |editor-first=Anggi |date=9 May 2025 |title=Mahasiswi ITB Pembuat Meme Prabowo-Jokowi Ciuman Dijerat UU ITE, Terancam 12 Tahun Penjara |trans-title=ITB Student Who Created Prabowo-Jokowi Kissing Meme Charged with ITE Law, Faces 12 Years in Prison |url=https://www.metrotvnews.com/read/b3JCp52a-mahasiswi-itb-pembuat-meme-prabowo-jokowi-ciuman-dijerat-uu-ite-terancam-12-tahun-penjara |work=Metro TV News |location=Jakarta |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250510124547/https://www.metrotvnews.com/read/b3JCp52a-mahasiswi-itb-pembuat-meme-prabowo-jokowi-ciuman-dijerat-uu-ite-terancam-12-tahun-penjara |archive-date=10 May 2025 |access-date=10 May 2025 |lang=id}}

The Ten Principles for the Establishment of a Monolithic Ideological System mandate reverence for deceased North Korean leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il. Some suggest that the execution of Jang Song Thaek in 2013 may have been related to him clapping "half-heartedly" at the 3rd Conference of the Worker's Party of Korea; however, most emphasize the importance of factional disputes in causing his execution.{{Cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2013/12/13/250711321/was-north-koreas-no-2-killed-for-not-clapping-hard-enough|title = Was North Korea's No. 2 Killed for Not Clapping Hard Enough?|publisher = NPR|date = 13 December 2013|last1 = Memmott|first1 = Mark}} South Korean and international media agencies have claimed North Korean officials have been executed for "dozing off" in official meetings, especially following the execution of Kim Yong Jin in 2016, citing anonymous sources.{{Cite news|url=https://nationalpost.com/news/world/kim-jong-un-executes-vice-premier-for-disrespectful-sitting-position-at-meeting-south-korea-says|title=Kim Jong-Un executes vice premier for 'disrespectful' sitting position at meeting, South Korea says|newspaper=National Post}}

Malaysia uses the Sedition Act 1948 to charge people for allegedly insulting the royal institution, including the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. In 2013, Melissa Gooi and four other friends were detained for allegedly insulting the royal institution.{{cite web|url=http://says.com/my/news/woman-detained-for-insulting-yang-di-pertuan-agong-on-facebook|title=[NEW UPDATE] She Insulted Our Agong: Her Friend Surrenders|work=says.com|date=4 June 2013|access-date=26 January 2017}}

In 2014, Ali Abd Jalil was detained and served 22 days in prison for insulting the royal family of Johor and Sultan of Selangor. A prison sentence was passed in Johor for attacking the royal family to Muhammad Amirul Azwan Mohd Shakri.{{cite news |last=Samuels |first=Gabriel |date=8 June 2016 |title=Teenager jailed for insulting Malaysian royal family on Facebook |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/teenager-jailed-for-insulting-malaysian-royal-family-on-facebook-a7070436.html |newspaper=The Independent }}

Malaysian royalty is one of the components of 3R (Race, Religion and Royalty) of which citizens are not allowed to criticise.

{{main|Lèse-majesté in Thailand{{!}}Lèse-majesté in Thailand}}

File:2012 CM Governors reception for HM's birthday 02.jpg of Thailand.]]

Thailand's criminal code has carried a prohibition against lèse-majesté since 1908.{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6547413.stm |title=Thailand's king pardons Swiss man |work=BBC News |date=12 April 2007 |access-date=26 January 2017}} In 1932, when Thailand's monarchy ceased to be absolute and a constitution was adopted, it too included language prohibiting lèse-majesté. The 2016 Constitution of Thailand, and all previous versions since 1932, contain the clause, "The King shall be enthroned in a position of revered worship and shall not be violated. No person shall expose the King to any sort of accusation or action." The Thai criminal code elaborates in Article 112: "Whoever defames, insults or threatens the King, Queen, the Heir-apparent or the Regent, shall be punished with imprisonment of three to fifteen years." Missing from the code, however, is a definition of what actions constitute "defamation" or "insult".{{cite news|last1=Head|first1=Jonathan|title=Writer held for 'insulting' Thai royals|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7604935.stm|access-date=26 October 2016|publisher=BBC|date=9 September 2008}} From 1990 to 2005, the Thai court system only saw four or five lèse-majesté cases a year. From January 2006 to May 2011, however, more than 400 cases came to trial.{{cite news |url=https://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110527/ap_on_re_as/as_thailand_monarchy |title=Thailand arrests American for alleged king insult |author=Todd Pitman and Sinfah Tunsarawuth |date=27 March 2011 |agency=Associated Press |access-date=27 May 2011}} Observers attribute the increase to increased polarization following the 2006 military coup and sensitivity over the elderly king's declining health. In 2013, the Supreme Court of Thailand ruled in case no. 6374/2556 that Article 112 of the Penal Code protects past kings as well as the present one. Criticism or comments which tarnish past kings or the monarchy are punishable by law. However, scholars raised doubts as to how far back lèse-majesté will be applied as the present Thai monarchy (Chakri dynasty) dates back more than 200 years while other monarchies which ruled Siam can be traced back almost 800 years.

Neither the king nor any member of the royal family has ever personally filed any charges under this law. In fact, during his birthday speech in 2005, King Bhumibol Adulyadej encouraged criticism: "Actually, I must also be criticized. I am not afraid if the criticism concerns what I do wrong, because then I know." He later added, "But the King {{em|can}} do wrong", in reference to those he was appealing to not to overlook his human nature.{{cite web|date=5 December 2005|url=http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2005/12/05/headlines/data/headlines_19334288.html|title=Royal Birthday Address: 'King Can Do Wrong'|publisher=National Media|access-date=26 September 2007|archive-date=30 September 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930024626/http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2005/12/05/headlines/data/headlines_19334288.html|url-status=dead}}

Under the NCPO junta which overthrew the democratic regime in May 2014, charges of lèse-majesté have increased significantly, especially against the opponents of the junta. Lèse-majesté is now seeing increasing use as a tool to stifle free speech and dissent in the country.{{cite news|title=The Thai cleaning lady facing prison for 'I see'|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-36328865|access-date=21 May 2016 |work=BBC News |date=20 May 2016}} Even the parents of the former princess Srirasmi Suwadee as well as her uncle have been charged with lèse-majesté. On 9 March 2015, a court sentenced her father Apiruj Suwadee and mother Wanthanee for insulting the royal family and lodging a malicious claim. They pleaded guilty to the offenses named and were sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-31828475|title=Parents of Thai ex-princess given jail term for lese majeste|date=11 March 2015|access-date=26 January 2017 |work=BBC News}} On 9 June 2017 in Bangkok a 33-year-old Thai man by the first name of Wichai was given 35 years imprisonment for posting 10 Facebook photos and comments about the Thai royalty. This sentence was reduced from the initial 70 years following a guilty plea made after a year in jail before the trial.{{cite news|last1=Simth|first1=Nicola|title=Man handed 35-year sentence for insulting Thai royal family on Facebook|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/06/09/man-handed-35-year-sentence-insulting-thai-royal-family-facebook/ |work=The Daily Telegraph |date=9 June 2017}}

In June 2017, the United Nations called on Thailand to amend its law on lèse-majesté.{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-40298570 |title=Thailand lese-majeste: UN urges amendment to law |first=Jonathan |last=Head |work=BBC News |location=Bangkok |date=19 June 2017}}

Brazilian Law contains in its Penal Code three types of criminal offenses against the honor of people in general:{{Cite web|title=L7209|url=http://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/LEIS/1980-1988/L7209.htm|access-date=2021-01-27|website=planalto.gov.br}}

• Slander: Falsely imputing something defined as a crime to someone, which has a penalty of detention for between six months to two years, and a fine.
• Defamation: Falsely imputing an offensive behavior to someone's reputation, which has a penalty of detention for between three months to one year, and a fine.
• Injury: Offending the dignity or decorum of someone, which has a penalty of detention for between one and six months, or a fine.

These penalties can be increased by one third when practiced against the President of the Republic. The Brazilian Penal Code states that crimes against life or freedom of the President of the Republic are subject to Brazilian law, even if committed abroad.{{Cite web|title=L7209|url=http://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/1980-1988/l7209.htm|access-date=2021-01-27|website=planalto.gov.br}} The law is also expanded to apply the penalties for slander or defamation against other authorities, such as members of the Federal Senate, the Chamber of Deputies or the Supreme Federal Court, with penalty of imprisonment, from 1 to 4 years.

In March 2019, the Supreme Federal Court opened an investigation which has been handled in secrecy at the Court, to investigate attacks and fake news involving the court and its members.{{Cite web|date=2019-04-08|title=Supreme Court of Brazil's inquiry against fake news: advancement or step backwards?|url=https://irisbh.com.br/en/supreme-court-of-brazils-inquiry-against-fake-news-advancement-or-step-backwards/|access-date=2021-01-27|website=IRIS-BH|language=en-US}} The inquiry has been heavily criticized by the media because of its use to censor articles published by newspapers,{{Cite news|last1=Boadle|first1=Anthony|last2=Brito|first2=Ricardo|date=2019-04-16|title=Brazil Supreme Court draws fire for silencing critics|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/brazil-politics-court-idUKL1N21Y0C7|access-date=2021-01-27}} including one about a member of the court being possibly named by Marcelo Odebrecht in a ramification of Operation Car Wash.{{Cite web|last=Minas|first=Estado de|date=2019-04-15|title=Ministro do STF manda revista e site excluirem reportagem que cita Dias Toffoli|url=https://www.em.com.br/app/noticia/politica/2019/04/15/interna_politica,1046478/ministro-do-stf-manda-revista-e-site-excluirem-reportagem-que-cita-dia.shtml|access-date=2021-01-27|website=Estado de Minas|language=pt-BR}}{{Cite web|date=2019-04-16|title=Censored Magazine Says It Was Fined US$26k by Supreme Court|url=https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/internacional/en/brazil/2019/04/censored-magazine-says-it-was-fined-us26k-by-supreme-court.shtml|access-date=2021-01-27|website=Folha de S.Paulo|language=en-US}} The criticized inquiry is still ongoing and has been used by the court to request other actions, including the investigation of some supporters of then-president Jair Bolsonaro in 2020, causing a crisis between the two branches of the Brazilian government.{{Cite news|date=2020-05-27|title=Fake News Probe Fuels Crisis Between Bolsonaro and Top Court|language=en|work=Bloomberg.com|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-05-27/bolsonaro-allies-targeted-by-probe-into-spread-of-fake-news|access-date=2021-01-27}}

{{main|Meiji Constitution#Imperial sovereignty|Lèse-majesté in Japan}}

Laws against offending the Emperor of Japan were in place between 1880 and 1947, when the law was abolished during the United States-led Allied occupation. The last person to be convicted of the crime was Shōtarō Matsushima, a factory worker and member of the Japanese Communist Party. During a 1946 protest against food shortages in front of the Imperial Palace, during which the protesters demanded entry into the palace kitchens which were said to be stocked with staple foods, Matsushima wielded a placard reading, on the one side, "Imperial Edict: The Emperor system has been preserved. I, the Emperor, have eaten to my heart's content, but you, my subjects, should starve to death! Signed, (Imperial Seal)". The other side demanded that the Emperor give a public accounting of the food shortages. Matsushima was arrested and charged with impairing the dignity of the Emperor. The Allied occupation authorities intervened and had the charges reduced to libel. Matsushima was convicted and sentenced to eight months in prison, but was pardoned immediately under an Imperial amnesty commemorating the new Constitution.p. 242, Eiji Takemae: The Allied Occupation of Japan (Continuum International Publishing Group, 2003)

On 28 October 2021, Belgium's Constitutional Court ruled that a law dating from 1847 which penalised insulting the monarch with a fine or imprisonment violates the right to freedom of expression as guaranteed under the Belgian Constitution as well as the European Convention on Human Rights.{{cite web|title=Constitutional Court Judgment of 28 October 2021 (in Dutch)|url=https://www.const-court.be/public/n/2021/2021-157n.pdf|date=28 October 2021|access-date=15 February 2022}} The law was repealed in January 2023.{{Cite web |last=Clapson |first=Colin |date=2023-01-07 |title=Belgians to skip jail for lese-majesty |url=https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/en/2023/01/07/belgians-to-skip-jail-for-lese-majesty/ |access-date=2024-03-11 |website=Flanders News |language=en}}

{{see also|Treachery Act of 1934}}

Adolf Hitler's cult of personality served as a powerful force for political integration in Nazi Germany, often shielding him from criticism that frequently targeted other Nazi leaders and the regime.{{cite book|last1=Kirk|first1=Timothy|year=1996|chapter=Popular opinion and political protest in working-class communities|title=Nazism and the working class in Austria: Industrial unrest and political dissent in the 'national community'|url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/nazism-and-the-working-class-in-austria/56EEA366635FDE169CD6B23BBC8B3D07|format=PDF|type=Book|language=English|publication-place=Cambridge|publisher=Cambridge University Press|pages=116{{hyphen}}117|doi=10.1017/CBO9780511599576|isbn=978-0-511-59957-6}} His image partly relied on his role in the recovery of the economy of Nazi Germany, contributing to the (perceived) legitimacy of his charismatic authority. But some dissent simmered beneath the surface, with outbursts prompting journalists to coin the term {{lang|de|Führerbeleidigung}} ({{lit|insulting the Fürher}}, approximating {{lang|fr|lèse-majesté}}). Most arrests for {{lang|de|Führerbeleidigung}} were reported in working-class districts, where the insults were also most forceful.

Hitler was often identified as a megalomaniac or a criminal (e.g., a self-proclaimed classmate said Hitler was a "crook" who tortured animals). Many insults were scatological, drawing on the Swabian salute as in Goethe's Götz von Berlichingen, or sexual, as when a night-watchman in Vienna was arrested for claiming he slept with Hitler. Others were more serious, even wielding the Nazis' own metaphors, as when a furnace apprentice called Hitler and Hermann Göring insects in need of extermination.

After the 1939 Bürgerbräukeller Bombing, there were reports of arrests for comments "that the attempt on the Führer's life was simply a result of his repression of the Catholic population". A mechanic in Wiener Neustadt was arrested for saying the attackers deserved medals. Three others in Vienna were also arrested for similar remarks; one suggested he would kill Hitler himself.

{{Main|Lèse-majesté in Norway}}

Following the 2005 Penal Code (introduced in 2015), lèse-majesté is no longer considered a criminal offense.

The 1902 Penal Code, article 101, provided a fine or up to five years of prison for lèse-majesté.[http://www.lovdata.no/all/tl-19020522-010-013.html#101 Straffeloven, § 101] at Lovdata.no According to article 103, prosecution had to be ordered or accepted by the king.[http://www.lovdata.no/all/tl-19020522-010-013.html#103 Straffeloven, § 103] at Lovdata.no Article 101 stated: "If any defamation is exercised against the King or the Regent, the guilty is punished with a fine or up to five years of prison."{{langx|no|Forøves nogen Ærekrenkelse mod Kongen eller Regenten, straffes den skyldige med Hefte eller Fængsel indtil 5 Aar.}}

In Romania, lèse-majesté laws were abolished in 2014, after the adoption of the 2009 Penal Code. However, Article 30.7 of the Romanian constitution specifies that defamation of the state and the nation shall be prohibited by law.{{Cite web |title=CONSTITUTIA ROMÂNIEI |url=https://www.cdep.ro/pls/dic/site2015.page?den=act2_1&par1=2#t2c2s0sba30:~:text=(7)%20Sunt%20interzise%20de%20lege%20def%C4%83imarea%20%C5%A3%C4%83rii%20%C5%9Fi%20a%20na%C5%A3iunii,%20%C3%AEndemnul%20la%20r%C4%83zboi%20de%20agresiune,%20la%20ur%C4%83%20na%C5%A3ional%C4%83,%20rasial%C4%83,%20de%20clas%C4%83%20sau%20religioas%C4%83,%20incitarea%20la%20discriminare,%20la%20separatism%20teritorial%20sau%20la%20violen%C5%A3%C4%83%20public%C4%83,%20precum%20%C5%9Fi%20manifest%C4%83rile%20obscene,%20contrare%20bunelor%20moravuri. |access-date=2024-05-06 |website=cdep.ro}}{{Cite web |title=CODUL PENAL (A) 01/10/2001 - Portal Legislativ |url=https://legislatie.just.ro/Public/DetaliiDocument/31993#:~:text=Orice%20manifestare%20prin%20care%20se%20exprima%20dispre%C5%A3%20pentru%20%C3%AEnsemnele%20Rom%C3%A2niei%20se%20pedepse%C5%9Fte%20cu%20%C3%AEnchisoare%20de%20la%206%20luni%20la%203%20ani. |access-date=2024-05-06 |website=legislatie.just.ro}}

In Sweden, the laws for lèse-majesté were repealed in 1948.{{Cite web |date=2019-01-20 |title=Herman Lindqvist: "Förr var det döden att smäda konungen" |url=https://www.svenskdam.se/kungligt/herman-lindqvist-forr-var-det-doden-att-smada-konungen/5867539 |access-date=2025-03-09 |website=Svensk Dam |language=sv-SE}}{{Cite web |date=2012-10-27 |title=Han hånade kungen och offrade allt |url=https://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/kolumnister/a/4dR3je/han-hanade-kungen-och-offrade-allt |access-date=2025-03-09 |website=Aftonbladet |language=sv}}

The Treason Felony Act 1848 makes it an offence to advocate for the abolition of the monarchy. Such advocation is punishable by up to life imprisonment under the Act. Though still in the statute book, the law is no longer enforced in practice.{{Cite web|date=2013-12-13|title=Calling for abolition of monarchy is still illegal, UK justice ministry admits|url=http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2013/dec/13/calling-abolition-monarchy-illegal-uk-justice-ministry|access-date=2021-02-12|website=The Guardian|language=en}}

Section 51 of the Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2010 abolished the common law criminal offences of sedition and "leasing-making" in Scottish law. The latter offence was considered an offence of lèse-majesté or making remarks critical of the monarch of the United Kingdom. The final prosecution for this offence had occurred in 1715.{{cite web|url=http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28862.aspx?r=5495&mode=html|title=Justice Committee Official Report|date=20 April 2010|publisher=Scottish Parliament|access-date=4 January 2014}}

The Sedition Act, enacted in 1798, forbade criticism of the President of the United States or of the federal government; the law was denounced as unconstitutional by its opponents, but was never brought before the Supreme Court. It expired in 1801.{{cite journal|first1=Sukrat|last1=Baber|title=Shout for Freedom to Curse at the Kingdom: Contrasting Thai Lese Majeste Law with United States First Amendment Freedoms|url=https://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?handle=hein.journals/iicl24&div=29&id=&page=|journal=Indiana International & Comparative Law Review|year=2014|pages=693–728|volume=24|issue=3 |doi=10.18060/18281 }} Modern jurisprudence concerning the First Amendment to the United States Constitution would make such laws unconstitutional.

• Blasphemy
• Defamation
• Flag desecration
• Insubordination
• Lèse-nation
• Mutiny
• Naming taboo
• Sedition
• Streisand effect
• Treason

{{Reflist|refs=

{{cite news | last1= Gołdyn | first1= Dominik | language = pl | title= Jakub Żulczyk nazwał Andrzeja Dudę 'debilem'. Znany pisarz oskarżony |trans-title = Jakub Żulczyk called Andrzej Duda a 'moron'. The famous author has been charged | date= 2021-03-22 |newspaper= Radio ZET | url= https://wiadomosci.radiozet.pl/Polska/Polityka/Jakub-Zulczyk-oskarzony.-Pisarz-nazwal-Andrzeja-Dude-debilem |access-date= 2021-03-23 |archive-url= https://archive.today/20210323211351/https://wiadomosci.radiozet.pl/Polska/Polityka/Jakub-Zulczyk-oskarzony.-Pisarz-nazwal-Andrzeja-Dude-debilem |archive-date= 2021-03-23 |url-status=live }}

{{cite news | language = pl | title= Kara za znieważenie Prezydenta |trans-title = Penalty for insulting the President | year = 2021 |newspaper= {{ill|Infor PL|pl}} | url= https://www.infor.pl/prawo/prawo-karne/ciekawostki/287408,Kara-za-zniewazenie-Prezydenta.html |access-date= 2021-03-23 |archive-url= https://archive.today/20210323210454/https://www.infor.pl/prawo/prawo-karne/ciekawostki/287408,Kara-za-zniewazenie-Prezydenta.html |archive-date= 2021-03-23 |url-status=live }}

{{cite news | title= Polish writer charged for calling president a 'moron' | date= 2021-03-23 |newspaper= The Guardian | url= https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/23/polish-writer-jakub-zulczyk-charged-for-calling-president-andrzej-duda-a-moron |access-date= 2021-03-23 |archive-url= https://archive.today/20210323214744/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/23/polish-writer-jakub-zulczyk-charged-for-calling-president-andrzej-duda-a-moron |archive-date= 2021-03-23 |url-status=live }}

{{cite news | last1= Gołdyn | first1= Dominik | language = pl | title= 'Je... Dudę', 'Chodźcie go spalić'. Uczniowie oskarżeni o znieważenie prezydenta |trans-title = 'F... Duda', 'Go and burn him'. Pupils charged with insulting the president | date= 2021-03-22 |newspaper= Radio ZET | url=https://wiadomosci.radiozet.pl/Polska/Polityka/Uczniowie-oskarzeni-o-zniewazenie-Andrzeja-Dudy.-Staneli-przed-sadem-w-Kaliszu |access-date= 2021-03-23 |archive-url= https://archive.today/20210323224132/https://wiadomosci.radiozet.pl/Polska/Polityka/Uczniowie-oskarzeni-o-zniewazenie-Andrzeja-Dudy.-Staneli-przed-sadem-w-Kaliszu |archive-date= 2021-03-23 |url-status=live }}

{{cite news | language = pl | title= Toruń: Znieważył prezydenta Dudę. Zapadł wyrok |trans-title = Toruń: He insulted president Duda. He was sentenced | date= 2020-12-22 |newspaper= Onet.pl | url= https://wiadomosci.onet.pl/kujawsko-pomorskie/torun-zniewazyl-prezydenta-dude-zapadl-wyrok/1hzrr87 |access-date= 2021-03-23 |archive-url= https://archive.today/20210323230111/https://wiadomosci.onet.pl/kujawsko-pomorskie/torun-zniewazyl-prezydenta-dude-zapadl-wyrok/1hzrr87 |archive-date= 2021-03-23 |url-status=live }}

}}

• {{cite web|url=http://cjel.law.columbia.edu/preliminary-reference/2016/europe-grapples-with-outdated-lese-majeste-laws/?cn-reloaded=1|title=Europe Grapples with Outdated Lèse-Majesté Laws|work=Columbia Journal of European Law|date=2016-10-09}}

• {{Wiktionary-inline|lese majesty}}

{{Censorship}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lese-majeste}}

Category:Crimes

Category:Speech crimes

Category:Monarchy

Category:Freedom of speech

Category:Freedom of expression

Category:Censorship

Category:Honour