Man sentenced to 28 years in prison for 'insulting' Thai monarchy
Thai monarchy
A political activist was sentenced to 28 years in prison by a court in Thailand on Thursday for posting messages on Facebook that it believed insulted the country’s monarchy. A court in the northern city of Chiang Rai found Mongkol Tirakote guilty in two separate royal defamation cases.
The 29-year-old, an online clothing vendor and activist, was found to have violated the lese majeste law in 14 of 27 posts and was arrested for the same last August. The law, considered among the harshest in the world, covers the current king, his queen and heirs, and any regent and carries a prison term of three to 15 years per incident.
Also Read |Thailand: Activist jailed for 2 years for mocking queen by dressing like her at protest
Critics say that the law is often misused to suppress public debate. In 2020, student-led pro-democracy protests criticized the monarchy. Vigorous prosecutions followed under the law, something that was rarely done previously.
His prison sentence was originally 42 years but it was reduced following his testimony, his lawyer told AFP. His lawyer further informed that Mongkol will lodge an appeal against the order and the court has granted him bail of 300,000 baht ($9,100).
Mongkol also faces a third, separate royal defamation charge over online posts from last year and will be back in court in March.
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Human Rights Watch senior researcher Sunai Phasuk said this wsa the second-highest prison term handed down by a Thai court for a royal defamation case.
In 2021, a record 43-year sentence was handed to a woman identified only as Anchan for insulting the monarchy. Her sentence was originally 87 years and she remains in prison.
According to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, at least 228 people have been charged with violating the law since November 2020. This includes 18 minors.
(With inputs from agencies)
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