The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) is appealing the sedition case concerning 40-year-old Khandu Wangmo from Thimphu to the High Court tomorrow. According to a press release from the OAG, the sentencing should have been at least 15 to 27 years since the prosecutor has proved beyond a reasonable doubt that she is guilty of three counts of sedition.
Earlier today, the Thimphu District Court sentenced Khandu Wangmo to a concurrent prison term of five years. She was handed down a prison term of 15 years but the court gave a concurrent prison term of five years. She was convicted of writing seditious documents like “Prayers For Your Majesty, The King Of Bhutan”, “To The King of Bhutan, Tashichhodzong, Thimphu” and “Dear Sir, Please Forward This to DPT President”.
According to the penal code, a defendant shall be guilty of the offence of sedition if the defendant issues an insulting and hateful statement against the King or the Royal Government with the intent to defame, disrupt, encourage contempt, or incite hatred of the people against Bhutan.
According to the judgment, she asked a few individuals to distribute the seditious documents with the intent to damage the lives of her ex-husband Pema Gatshel Drangpon Yeshi Dorji and his family members.
The OAG is not satisfied with the concurrent sentencing by the district court. According to the press release, the “award of five years sentence that could have been in the maximum of 27 years dishonours the Tsa-Wa-Sum and disrepute the efforts of the investigation and prosecuting agencies”.
The OAG states “such sentencing will establish a wrong precedent and pose a grave concern to the security, sovereignty and constitutional sacrosanctity of our established institutions”.
Meanwhile, Khandu Wangmo was also given a concurrent sentence of nine years in July. She was convicted of abetting mutiny, criminal misappropriation of property, larceny by deception, illegal possession of firearms and impersonation of uniformed personnel. She also received an additional prison term of 18 months for solicitation of official misconduct and harassment. However, the conspiracy case is now in the High Court after three defendants appealed.
Tshering Zam
Edited by Tandin Phuntsho
