He was also fined 20,000 baht ($550) for violating an emergency decree.
Bangkok:
A Thai court on Tuesday sentenced one of the leading figures in the kingdom’s youth-led pro-democracy protest movement to four years in prison on charges of royal insult.
Anon Numpa was convicted under Thailand’s strict majesty laws for a speech he gave in Bangkok in 2020 at the height of street demonstrations.
Anon was among protesters who made unprecedented calls for reforms to the monarchy and legislation that shields King Maha Vajiralongkorn and his immediate family from criticism.
The Bangkok Criminal Court ruled on Tuesday that Anon’s speech at the Democracy Monument amounted to lèse majesté and sentenced him to four years in prison.
He was also fined 20,000 baht ($550) for violating an emergency decree in force at the time.
“Loss of personal freedom is a sacrifice I am willing to make,” Anon, 39, told reporters as he entered the court with his partner and their baby ahead of the sentence.
“We have come a long way and seen many changes on the Thai political scene since the movement in 2020,” he said.
“If I am sentenced to prison today, it may take many years, but it will be worth it.”
After the verdict, his lawyer Krisadang Nutcharas described Anon as an “innocent man” and said they would likely appeal.
“The family and friends are trying to file bail for temporary release,” he told reporters outside the court.
Anon, a human rights lawyer, is one of more than 150 activists charged under lese majeste laws, often referred to as “112” after the relevant article of the criminal code.
Before the hearing, dozens of young political activists waited – many wearing shirts that read “No. 112′ – to show their support.
Andrea Giorgetta of the International Federation for Human Rights told AFP that the prison sentence was “severe”, describing it as “a long prison sentence for exercising your rights”.
“It is certainly a dark day for justice,” he said outside the courtroom.
He said the conviction rate under 112 remained close to 100 percent.
“The only question remains how many years you will get, and whether the court will decide whether you can get bail.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
