Leading Thai Activist Sentenced to Additional Jail Time

Facts

• The Criminal Court of Thailand handed an additional four-year jail sentence on further charges of lèse majesté [a crime like treason committed against a sovereign power] to Ratsadon protest group leader Arnon Nampa on Wednesday.¹
• This comes three years after a complaint was filed with the Crime Suppression Division against the activist lawyer, alleging that Arnon had insulted the monarchy as he criticized the enforcement of the lèse majesté law in three Facebook posts in early January 2021.²
• As Arnon has already been serving a four-year sentence since September for remarks against the monarchy he made in a speech during a rally in 2020, this second verdict, which is expected to be appealed, effectively extends his prison time to eight years. A dozen other legal cases are pending against him.³
• Arnon was highlighted in Time magazine's '100 Next' three years ago as an influential leader who 'broke the silence around Thai Monarchy,' demanding reform despite the matter long being considered a taboo in Thai society.⁴
• Thailand's lèse majesté law, which carries a maximum jail sentence of up to 15 years for each offense, has been deemed extreme by international human rights groups. At home, the Move Forward Party has sought to amend the law but failed to form a government despite winning an election in May.⁵
• Nearly 2K people have been prosecuted for political participation and expression since the outbreak of the Free Youth protests in July 2020, according to data from Thai Lawyers for Human Rights group, with at least 262 facing lèse majesté charges.⁶

Sources: ¹Thai PBS World, ²Nation Thailand, ³Al Jazeera, ⁴Thaiger, ⁵Reuters and ⁶Bangkok Post.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by The Diplomat. Yet again, a Thai court has enforced this archaic and oppressive law against an independent political activist who merely used his freedom of speech to criticize the monarchy. As if criminalizing that wasn't authoritarian enough, the prosecution carries no burden of proof — and even factual statements can be punished.
• Narrative B, as provided by Thai Enquirer. Section 112 of the Criminal Code, which is commonly known as Thailand's lèse majesté law, protects key national institutions as well as national security while also reflecting its culture and history. With the exception of some fringe troublemakers, the Thai populace respects the monarchy and recognizes it as one of the main pillars of the nation.

Predictions