On Wednesday, an appeals court upheld the conviction of a Chiang Rai clothing vendor in a third lese-majeste case, bringing his total prison time to a record 54 years and 6 months, according to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR).
Mongkol “Busbas” Thirakot had previously been sentenced to 50 years in prison in two separate lese-majeste cases, with those sentences also affirmed on appeal.
“This represents the longest prison term ever imposed on a Section 112 defendant, based on current records,” TLHR reported, referring to the section of the Criminal Code that deals with royal defamation.
In the latest case, the Court of Appeal Region 5 upheld the Chiang Rai Provincial Court’s earlier ruling, finding Mongkol guilty of two counts of lese-majeste and one count of trespassing, and sentencing him to 4 years and 6 months in prison.
Mongkol, who watched the ruling via video link from Chiang Rai Central Prison, had been detained there since his arrest in April 2021. The arrest followed his hunger strike in Chiang Rai, advocating for bail rights for political prisoners in similar cases.
In January, the Court of Appeal Region 5 had already upheld a 28-year sentence handed down by a lower court, which had convicted Mongkol on 14 counts of lese-majeste, each carrying a two-year sentence. Additionally, he was found guilty of 11 more counts, also each with a two-year term, totaling 50 years in those cases.
This sentence surpasses that of Anchan Preelert, a former civil servant, who received a 43-year and 6-month prison term for lese-majeste.
Mongkol’s charges stemmed from 25 Facebook posts published between March 2 and 11, 2021, which were alleged to be critical of the monarchy. The court also noted that he had shared videos from foreign sources containing material deemed harmful to the monarchy, with additional damaging posts made on April 8 and 9, 2021.
Mongkol contended that he did not defame the monarchy but rather expressed political opposition. The court, however, deemed his actions as defamation involving vulgar language.
Section 112 mandates a minimum sentence of 3 years and a maximum of 15 years for any act that defames, insults, or threatens the King, Queen, Heir-apparent, or Regent.
According to TLHR data up to July 31 of this year, 1,954 individuals have been prosecuted for political participation and expression since the Free Youth protests began in July 2020. Among them, at least 272 face lese-majeste charges under Section 112, and 152 are charged with sedition under Section 116.
