A former civil servant has been jailed for 43 years and six months for insulting the Thai monarchy, lawyers said, in what is thought to be the toughest sentence ever passed under the kingdom’s strict lese-majesty law.
The woman, said to be in her 60s, was accused of posting audio clips to Facebook and YouTube with comments deemed critical of the monarchy, according to the group Thai Lawyers for Human Rights.
A sentence of 87 years was announced initially, but this was halved because she pleaded guilty.
Under the lese-majesty law, anyone who “defames, insults or threatens the king, queen, heir apparent or regent” can face between three and 15 years on each charge. The woman, whose lawyers have identified her only by her first name, Anchan, was found guilty on 29 counts of breaching the law.
Her case dates back six years, but the sentencing comes at a time when the authorities are attempting to clamp down on an unprecedented youth-led pro-democracy movement that has challenged both the monarchy and the government.
Protesters, who gathered in the tens of thousands last year, have criticised King Maha Vajiralongkorn and questioned the royal family’s vast wealth and power. They have demanded reform, arguing that the institution should be accountable and under the constitution.
Such public discussion of the royal family was, until recently, highly unusual. Initially, authorities did not charge protesters with lese-majesty, which, the prime minister, Prayuth Chan-ocha, said in June was no longer being used because of “His Majesty’s mercy”.
Since November, however, lese-majesty cases have been brought against dozens of protesters, including students as young as 16. Demonstrators have also been accused of sedition and holding gatherings in violation of Covid-19 restrictions.
Sunai Phasuk, a senior researcher for the group Human Rights Watch, said Tuesday’s sentence “sends a spine-chilling signal that not only criticisms of the monarchy won’t be tolerated, but they will also be severely punished”.
UN experts and human rights groups have criticised the lese-majesty law, pointing to its sweeping defamation criteria and severe sentences. Anyone can file a complaint against another person under the law.
Anchan was initially held in jail from 2015-2018, and denied the charges when her case was first heard in military court, where lese-majesty offences were prosecuted for a period after the 2014 coup.
Anchan told local media that she had pleaded guilty when her case was transferred to criminal court, hoping the court would show leniency because she had only shared the audio, and had not posted or commented on it.
“I thought it was nothing. There were so many people who shared this content and listened to it,” Anchan said. “So I didn’t really think this through and was too confident and not being careful enough to realise at the time that it wasn’t appropriate.”
Strict lèse majesté laws make it a crime to criticise, defame or insult members of Thailand's royal family.
In practice, this means open discussion or critical reporting about the royal family is considered illegal.
The military junta, which seized power in 2014, has been criticised for using the law – which can see people jailed for up to 15 years on each count – to stifle opposition.
In 2015, a man was jailed for 30 years over six Facebook posts and the local printer of the New York Times refused to publish an edition with a story on the king.
She said she had worked as a civil servant for 40 years and was arrested one year before retirement, and with a conviction would lose her pension.
Sunai said the authorities appeared to be using lese-majesty to curb the pro-democracy protests, but that such action was likely to worsen political tensions. “Those demanding democracy are not afraid. Instead they are reacting by making more direct and more blunt criticism about the monarchy,” he said.
Over recent months, lese-majesty cases have been brought against protesters for alleged offences ranging from wearing traditional dress deemed to be a parody of the royals to giving speeches arguing that the power and wealth of the king should be curbed.
Associated Press contributed to this report
