BANGKOK: An activist-turned-lawmaker in Thailand was sentenced to six years in prison on Wednesday (Dec 13) for insulting the powerful monarchy, her lawyer said, over a series of posts a judge deemed defamatory to the crown.
Rukchanok Srinork, 29, of the progressive Move Forward Party faces disqualification as a member of parliament for Bangkok if the court does not grant her bail on Wednesday, her lawyer and fellow lawmaker Weeranan Huadsri told Reuters, adding she would appeal the sentence.
The court could not be reached for confirmation of the sentence. Thailand’s courts do not publicise all legal proceedings and the palace typically does not comment on convictions under the lese-majeste law.
The law is one of the strictest of its kind in the world, protecting Thailand’s king, queen, heir and regent from criticism and carrying a jail sentence of 15 years for each perceived insult to the monarchy.
Rukchanok was found guilty over posts in 2020 on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, where she criticised the involvement of a company owned by King Maha Vajiralongkorn in the manufacturing of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Source: CNA
