Thailand’s most prominent human rights lawyer has been slapped with yet another prison sentence, adding to his already staggering time behind bars for challenging the monarchy.
Today, July 8, Bangkok’s Criminal Court sentenced Arnon Nampa to an additional two years and four months for royal defamation and sedition over a fiery speech he delivered at a protest in November 2020. The latest ruling pushes his cumulative sentence to a jaw-dropping 29 years and one month, according to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR).
“This was Arnon’s 10th conviction,” TLHR said in a statement, adding that all verdicts are under appeal, but repeated bail requests for the 40 year old have been consistently denied.
The controversial speech, delivered during the People’s Party 2020 rally outside Parliament on November 17, 2020, didn’t explicitly name any royal figures. However, the court ruled that Arnon’s remarks were clearly directed at the monarchy and therefore constituted defamation under Section 112 of the Criminal Code — Thailand’s harsh lese majeste law.
Thousands gathered that day as lawmakers debated whether to accept a draft “people’s constitution” endorsed by more than 100,000 citizens. Police responded with water cannons laced with chemicals and volleys of tear gas, dispersing the crowd in dramatic scenes.
Arnon and co-defendant Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak, a high-profile student activist, were also convicted of incitement under Section 116, Thailand’s sedition law, after urging demonstrators to regroup at Royal Thai Police headquarters.
The court initially handed each a six-month sentence for sedition and added three years for Arnon’s lese majeste charge. However, citing their “beneficial testimony,” the judges reduced the sedition sentences to four months and Arnon’s defamation term to two years.
Parit, who was sentenced in absentia last year for a separate lese-majeste charge — just one of 24 cases reportedly pending against him — is believed to have fled Thailand.
Arnon remains in custody and still faces four more lese-majeste and related cases tied to the pro-democracy protests that swept Bangkok in 2020 and 2021. He has been detained since September 26, 2023, awaiting appeals.
According to TLHR data collected up to May 31, at least 1,975 people have been prosecuted over political activism and expression since the Free Youth movement began in July 2020. Of those, 281 have been charged with lese-majeste and 156 with sedition, reported Bangkok Post.
Supporters say the convictions are part of a broader crackdown aimed at silencing reform advocates.
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