Ryn J.

Prominent pro-democracy activist Arnon Nampa’s prison sentences reach 34 years after latest royal defamation conviction Thai human rights lawyer Arnon Nampa’s combined prison sentences reached 34 years, five months and 20 days after the Criminal Court sentenced him to another two years and eight months on October 30. A leading figure in the 2020 monarchy reform protests, he was convicted alongside four other activists over speeches outside Siam Commercial Bank’s Bangkok headquarters in November 2020. The court found all five guilty of royal defamation under Section 112 of the Criminal Code (Thailand's draconian lèse-majesté law), reducing their four-year sentences by one-third because their defense evidence helped the proceedings. The defendants said their speeches about royal assets and monarchy reform were lawful expressions of opinion in the public interest. The court rejected that defense. Wanwalee "Tee" Thammasattaya and Phongsathon Tancharoen were sent to prison after the court referred their bail applications to the Court of Appeal. Arnon and the other two defendants, Phromsorn "Fah" Weerathamjaree and Nawat Liangwattana, were already in custody. Five other charges had been dropped under a 2026 amnesty law that excludes Section 112 offenses. The ruling was Arnon’s 12th conviction under Section 112, according to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, which he co-founded. All his cases remain under challenge, with none of the judgments final. #Thailand #ม112