Thailand punishes lese majeste more harshly than almost any other country – the prominent activist Arnon Nampa has now also felt the effects of this. But the process is not yet finally over.
Thai human rights lawyer and prominent activist Arnon Nampa has been sentenced to four years in prison for lese majeste.
The responsible court found the 39-year-old guilty of violating the draconian Article 112 during a speech in Bangkok in 2020, said the human rights organization Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR), citing the judiciary. The controversial Lèse Majesté law imposes long prison sentences of up to 15 years for anyone who criticizes the king, queen or other members of the court.
Thailand punishes lese majeste more harshly than almost any other country. For a long time, the law was considered sacrosanct – until 2020. There were massive protests by the democracy movement, in which hundreds of thousands publicly called for a reform of the constitution and the monarchy. Arnon Nampa is considered one of the leaders of the movement and is probably the best-known political activist in the Southeast Asian country.
He had already been reported several times in the past as part of the protests. He was repeatedly imprisoned. He has always denied the allegations against him. His lawyers wanted to appeal and obtain bail, TLHR wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Source: Stern
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