A Thai man has been given a 50-year prison sentence for criticising the monarchy – the longest jail term handed down under the kingdom’s strict lese-majesty laws – a legal rights group said.
The record-breaking sentence comes after several years in which Thailand has ramped up use of the legislation against pro-democracy protesters in what critics say is a tactic to silence dissent.
An appeal court in the northern city of Chiang Rai sentenced Mongkol Thirakot, a 30-year-old former pro-democracy activist, to 50 years over posts on his personal Facebook account.
The lese-majesty law, which shields King Vajiralongkorn and his close family from criticism, is often referred to as 112 in Thailand after the relevant section of the criminal code.
Mongkol, who owns an online clothing store, was first arrested in 2021 during a protest demanding the release of political prisoners.
On Wednesday, one of the main protest leaders, Arnon Nampa, a lawyer, had his four-year lese-majesty sentence increased by another four years.
The original article contains 318 words, the summary contains 163 words. Saved 49%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
This is the best summary I could come up with:
A Thai man has been given a 50-year prison sentence for criticising the monarchy – the longest jail term handed down under the kingdom’s strict lese-majesty laws – a legal rights group said.
The record-breaking sentence comes after several years in which Thailand has ramped up use of the legislation against pro-democracy protesters in what critics say is a tactic to silence dissent.
An appeal court in the northern city of Chiang Rai sentenced Mongkol Thirakot, a 30-year-old former pro-democracy activist, to 50 years over posts on his personal Facebook account.
The lese-majesty law, which shields King Vajiralongkorn and his close family from criticism, is often referred to as 112 in Thailand after the relevant section of the criminal code.
Mongkol, who owns an online clothing store, was first arrested in 2021 during a protest demanding the release of political prisoners.
On Wednesday, one of the main protest leaders, Arnon Nampa, a lawyer, had his four-year lese-majesty sentence increased by another four years.
The original article contains 318 words, the summary contains 163 words. Saved 49%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!