Thai justice has sentenced a man to 50 years in prison on appeal for insulting the royal family: this is the heaviest sentence ever handed down for a crime of treason.
This was announced today by a group of lawyers who fight for human rights in the country.
The appeal judges increased by 22 years a sentence of the court in Chiang Rai (north) which had sentenced an activist to 28 years in prison last year, explained the group 'Thai lawyers for human rights (TLHR).
30-year-old Mongkol Thirakot, who will appeal to the Supreme Court, was found guilty of 11 other offenses during the appeal process.
The young man, owner of an online clothing store, is on trial for 27 publications on Facebook deemed defamatory against the king and his family.
“This is the longest sentence for lèse majesté to our knowledge,” wrote Thlr on X. The previous record sentence, 43 years, dates back to January 2021, against a woman for audio messages hostile to the monarchy published on social networks.
Reproduction reserved © Copyright ANSA