Speculation ?[]
"Thomas was charged with speaking against Andrew Ryan and his policies,"
Was he or was he speaking rebellion/overthrow/incitement/conspiracy against order in Rapture (which could be technically claimed as a 'difference of opinion' by some )??? Doesnt say in any deatil, so the above statement is speculation.
The phrase 'difference of opinion' is used frequently by criminals who dont see their own need to follow societies rules.
We also only have the speakers claim (and most inmates claim to be 'innocent' of the crimes they are incarcerated for). Thats one thing about audio diaries versus direct game narration, where there is an assumption of whats being said is true. The speaker is hardly a 'neutral' party and what they say needs to be taken with 'a grain of salt'.