A Thai man has been sentenced to 50 years in prison for criticizing the monarchy, a legal rights group said, making it the longest sentence ever handed down under the country's strict lese majeste laws.
The record-breaking ruling comes after Thailand has tightened its use of the law against pro-democracy protesters over the years, which critics say is a tactic to silence dissent. Ta.
An appeals court in the northern city of Chiang Rai has sentenced former democracy activist Mongkol Tillakot, 30, to 50 years in prison for posts on his personal Facebook account.
He was initially sentenced to 28 years in prison in a lower criminal court, but during his appeal he was convicted on 11 more charges, lengthening his sentence.
“The Court of Appeal sentenced him to 112 22-year prison terms for 27 Facebook posts, in addition to the 28-year sentence already handed down by the preliminary court. His total sentence will be 50 years.” said the Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR) in a statement.
The lese majeste law, which protects King Vajiralongkorn and his immediate family from criticism, is often referred to in Thailand as “112,'' a reference to the relevant provisions of the criminal law.
TLHR said the sentence was the longest handed down for royal defamation. The previous record was 43 years, and it was imposed on women in 2021.
Mongkol, who runs an online clothing store, was first arrested in 2021 during a protest calling for the release of political prisoners.
Youth-led demonstrations in 2020 and 2021 brought tens of thousands of people to the streets, many demanding changes to strict lese majeste laws.
TLHR announced that Mongkol will apply to the Supreme Court to appeal the ruling.
According to TLHR, more than 250 activists have been charged with lese majeste since the 2020 protests began.
On Wednesday, Arnon Nampa, a lawyer and one of the main leaders of the protest movement, had his four-year prison sentence extended by an additional four years for lese majeste.
