On Monday, a court in Thailand sentenced certainly one of the dominion’s leading democracy activists to a different two years in prison on charges of insulting the monarch.
This is the most recent charge against distinguished human rights lawyer Arnon Nampa, who now faces greater than 10 years in prison.
He is currently in prison after being sentenced to 4 years in prison in January over three messages posted on Facebook in 2021, on top of the 4 years he was serving for a previous lese majeste conviction.
Critics say the federal government has used stringent laws to silence dissent, prosecuting many individuals under tough laws that protect King Maha Vajiralongkorn and his family.
A Bangkok criminal court sentenced Arnon to 2 years and 20 days for his calls during a 2021 Harry Potter-themed rally to alter Thailand’s defamation laws against the royal family.
He was found guilty of 4 charges, including violating lèse-majesté, defying an emergency decree and using a loudspeaker without permission, Thai human rights lawyers said.
“Arnon has denied any wrongdoing,” his lawyer Junjira Junpaew told Reuters, adding that his legal team would appeal the decision.
In 2020, Thai pro-democracy protests led by young people took to the streets to make unprecedented calls for reform of the monarchy.
In sentencing him, the criminal court also fined him 150 baht ($4) for using a loudspeaker.
Arnon is amongst greater than 150 activists who’ve been charged in recent times under the lese majeste law, also known as “112” within the relevant section of the penal code.
Additional reporting by Reuters
