Chiang Rai vendor receives 54-year sentence for lese-majeste

A Chiang Rai clothing vendor has had his prison sentence extended to a record 54 years and 6 months for lese-majeste offences, according to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR).

The appeal court’s decision yesterday, September 4, upheld Mongkol Thirakot’s earlier conviction, adding to his existing sentences to make it the longest ever under Section 112 of the Criminal Code, which pertains to royal defamation.

Mongkol, already serving 28 years for previous lese-majeste convictions, saw his sentence extended by another 22 years. TLHR highlighted this as the longest prison term given to a Section 112 defendant based on available records.

The Court of Appeal Region 5 confirmed the Chiang Rai Provincial Court’s ruling, which found Mongkol guilty of two counts of lese-majeste and one count of trespassing, resulting in an additional four years and six months in prison. Mongkol attended the ruling via video link from Chiang Rai Central Prison.

Earlier this year, in January, the Court of Appeal Region 5 had upheld a 28-year prison term for 14 counts of lese-majeste, each carrying a two-year sentence. This, combined with a further 11 counts of the same offence, brought his total to 50 years before yesterday’s ruling added more time.

Mongkol’s sentence eclipses that of Anchan Preelert, a former civil servant who was sentenced to 43 years and six months for similar charges. Mongkol was arrested in April 2021 after a hunger strike in Chiang Rai to demand bail rights for political prisoners in cases akin to his own.

From March 2 to 11, 2021, Mongkol posted 25 times on Facebook, which were alleged to be critical of the monarchy. He shared videos from foreign sources deemed harmful to the monarchy and made additional posts on April 8 and 9 that year.

Mongkol argued that his posts were political expressions against His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Phra Vajiraklaochaoyuhua, not defamation. However, the court ruled that his use of vulgar language constituted defamation.

Section 112 of the Criminal Code imposes a minimum three-year sentence and a maximum of 15 years for acts that defame, insult, or threaten the king, queen, heir-apparent, or regent.

According to TLHR, as of July 31 this year, 1,954 individuals have been prosecuted for political participation and expression since the Free Youth protests began in July 2020. Among these, 272 face lese-majeste charges under Section 112, and 152 have been charged with sedition under Section 116, reported Bangkok Post.