This Thai Activist And Lawyer Has Been Jailed For Four Years For Criticizing The Monarchy
Arnon Nampa, a prominent human rights lawyer, is the first person in Thailand to publicly speak out against the country’s monarchy.
A court in Bangkok, Thailand, has convicted Arnon Nampa, a prominent 39-year-old human rights lawyer and activist, to four years in prison for calling for a public debate on the role of the country’s monarchy.
Nampa, a leader in the student-led pro-democracy movement in August 2020, not only demanded the removal of former Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, who came to power in a 2014 coup, but also broke a taboo with his open calls for reform of Thailand’s powerful monarchy.
In 2020, Arnon delivered a speech calling for an open debate on the role of the monarchy to hundreds of demonstrators during student-led pro-democracy protests, making him the first person in Thailand to publicly speak out against the country’s monarchy.
In Thailand, it is illegal to insult, defame or threaten the king, the queen and other members of the royal family under the lèse-majesté law, and sentences can range from three to 15 years.
On Tuesday Sep. 26, Arnon was found guilty of violating the lèse-majesté law and sentenced to four years in prison.
Arnon – who has denied that he was defaming the king – is still facing 13 other charges related to the lèse-majesté law.
Thailand’s lese-majeste law is among the world’s strictest; a 64-year-old woman has been ordered to stay behind bars for more than 43 years.
In the wake of the months-long 2020 protests against the then-military-backed-government, this law was has been used to target activists who were seen as defaming King Maha Vajiralongkorn’s palace, one of the wealthiest monarchies globally.
Despite widespread criticism from human rights organizations, at least 257 people have been charged under the lese-majeste law in the last three years, according to NGO Thai Lawyers for Human Rights.
Speaking to Reuters prior to the ruling, Arnon said he had no regrets.
“The youth protest has created a phenomenon that has changed Thailand to the point of no return,” he said.
“I believe that the people are becoming more confident in their freedom and equality and are ready to transform the country to be more progressive.”
