Thai human rights lawyer Arnon Nampa has been sentenced to more than 34 years in prison for calling for public discussion of Thailand's powerful monarchy. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing BBC News.
The 42-year-old spoke in the guise of the young wizard at a Harry Potter-themed demonstration in central Bangkok in 2020, calling for the monarchy to be scrutinised and held accountable. On Friday a court in Bangkok sentenced him to two years and eight months for violating Thailand's lèse majesté law, or article 112, under which more people have been jailed for perceived insults against the royal family than in all the other countries that have such laws combined.
This is just one out of 14 cases brought against Arnon under the same charge, bringing the cumulative sentence he has received so far to more than 34 years. The verdict in two cases is still pending.
"To me, this isn't a surprise," he later told reporters. "If the country was more open, we would be able to talk about these issues freely."
The past six years have seen the most extensive use of lèse majesté in Thai history, in response to unprecedented student protests in 2020 which for the first time called for a public discussion of the role of the monarchy. Two hundred and ninety-four people, including 20 under the age of 18, have been prosecuted, receiving prison sentences of up to 50 years. Dozens of them are still on trial.
Most of those charged under this law are denied bail and kept in jail, even though their court cases can last several years. The standard defence of the law given by Thai officials is that it "reflects the culture and history of Thailand, where the monarchy is one of the main pillars of the nation, highly revered by the majority of Thai people".
Article 112 of the Thai criminal code simply reads, "Whoever defames, insults or threatens the King, the Queen, the Heir-apparent or the Regent, shall be punished with imprisonment of three to 15 years."
In practice, though, the law has been interpreted to cover a much wider range of comment about the monarchy, and a much wider range of figures. Saying anything negative about any member of the royal family, about the institution of the monarchy, even about long deceased kings, or in one case, the king's dog, has resulted in prosecutions.
"If you ask me what the text of the law says, I can tell you," says Akarachai Chaimaneekarakate, assistant director of Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, which helps defend those accused of breaking it. "If you ask me how the courts interpret the words 'defame' or 'insult', I don't think I can give you a definition, because it's so ambiguous, it's so vague. Even questioning the law itself, for example, can constitute lèse majesté under Section 112."
From his cell in the Bangkok Remand Prison, where he has been for the last three years, Arnon has been writing to his young daughter and son.
"Dear Pran and Karl, my beloved children,
The winter wind has not only brought us cool weather, but also brings back stories from the past. I miss the time we travelled outside Bangkok that first winter after Karl came into this world. It was such a magical time for me. I shall miss it every winter I spend here until I regain my freedom."
Hearings like the one Arnon attended weeks before Friday's verdict are the only times he has seen Karl since he was a baby.
Karl is shy at first, but soon he's happy to be picked up and shown off to the other prisoners. His 10-year-old sister Pran sometimes visits their father in prison, and often draws and paints him.
But Arnon and Lookwa, his partner, think Karl is too young to visit. For now, Karl thinks the court is just where his dad works. A group of supporters has come too, filling the little courtroom. They mingle cheerfully with the prisoners, laughing and exchanging gossip before the judges walk in to start the hearing. It is an improbably informal setting for men facing one of the most feared charges in Thailand.
The effect of the law has been to smother any public discussion about the monarchy. Until six years ago, opinions on it were only ever whispered in private. In one notorious case a taxi driver was jailed because a passenger reported what he had said while riding in his cab.
That year younger Thais had become increasingly frustrated with the conservative government led by coup-leader Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha. The year before millions had given their votes to a new party, Future Forward, which promised sweeping reforms, but in February 2020, the Constitutional Court dissolved the party on a technicality. The arrival of the Covid pandemic prevented any protests for three months, but as infections in Thailand started to fall, students began holding rallies calling for an end to the military's role in politics. Arnon Nampa argued this did not go far enough.
In the garb of Harry Potter, he gave a speech saying it was time to talk about the opaque power and wealth of the monarchy. He criticised King Vajiralongkorn's decision to take personal control of the vast assets held by the Crown Property Bureau, and over important units of the army.