A young activist has been sentenced to 50 years in prison for insulting the Thai royal family. This was announced by the group ‘Thai human rights lawyers’ (TLHR), a community of lawyers fighting for respect for human rights. This is the harshest sentence ever imposed for the crime of lèse majesté: at the first instance the Chiang Rai court sentenced the 30-year-old to 28 years in prison, while the sentence was increased by 22 years by appeal judges.
Mongkol Thirakot, the name of the prisoner who owns an online clothing store, is accused of publishing a series of posts (27 to be exact) on Facebook that were deemed defamatory against the king and his family. The young man will now appeal to the Supreme Court through his lawyers.
Before this moment, the previous record sentence (43 years in prison) was that given in January 2021 to a woman who was found guilty of spreading some audio messages hostile to the monarchy on social media.
Protests against the monarchy
Thailand, particularly between 2020 and 2021, has seen a series of well-attended public demonstrations against the pro-military and monarchist government, largely supported by youth. Social media played a key role in spreading protests aimed, among other things, at reforming the monarchy, a demand hitherto unprecedented in the country.
Source: Today IT
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
