In a striking legal development, a Thai man, Mongkol Thirakot, has been handed a record-breaking 50-year prison sentence for his critical remarks about the monarchy. This marks the lengthiest punishment ever meted out under Thailand’s stringent royal insult laws, as disclosed by the Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR).
The momentous verdict follows a series of years during which Thailand intensified the application of contentious legislation against pro-democracy demonstrators, a move perceived by critics as a strategic endeavor to stifle dissenting voices.
Chiang Rai’s appellate court issued the extended sentence to the 30-year-old former pro-democracy activist, who initially received a 28-year sentence from a lower criminal court. However, during the appeal process, Mongkol Thirakot was found guilty on 11 additional counts, leading to the unprecedented 50-year incarceration.
“Mongkol Thirakot has been sentenced to 22 years for 112 charges related to his 27 Facebook posts, in addition to the initial 28-year sentence. His cumulative prison term now stands at 50 years,” stated Thai Lawyers for Human Rights in an official release.
The notorious lese-majeste law, commonly referred to as Article 112, shields King Maha Vajiralongkorn and his immediate family from criticism, constituting a legal framework that has faced widespread condemnation.
Thai Lawyers for Human Rights emphasized that this sentence surpasses the previous record of 43 years, imposed on an individual in 2021 for royal defamation.
Mongkol Thirakot, the proprietor of an online clothing store, was initially apprehended in 2021 during a demonstration advocating for the release of political detainees. The 2020 and 2021 youth-led protests drew tens of thousands to the streets, with a substantial demand for revisions to the stringent lese-majeste laws.
TLHR revealed that Mongkol intends to file an appeal against the sentence at the Supreme Court. Since the onset of the 2020 protest movement, over 250 activists have faced charges under lese-majeste laws. In a recent development, prominent protest leader and lawyer Arnon Nampa had his four-year lese-majeste sentence extended by an additional four years on Wednesday.
