Fury as woman is jailed for 43 YEARS for insulting Thai King after just SHARING audio clips on YouTube and Facebook
A 65-YEAR-old woman has been jailed for 43 years and six months for insulting the Thai monarchy.
Former civil servant Anchan Preelert shared audio clips on Facebook and YouTube that included comments deemed critical of the monarchy, according to activists Thai Lawyers for Human Rights.
Defiance or insult to the monarchy is strictly forbidden in Thailand and is punished harshly.
Anchan pleaded guilty to 29 seperate counts of violating the majeste law, her lawyer Pawinee Chumsri told Reuters.
“This is the highest prison sentence ever in a lese majeste case,” she said.
She was originally sentenced to a staggering 87 years, which was halved after her guilt plea.
Thailand has a controversial lese majeste law, commonly known as Article 112, which forbids people from criticising the Thai monarchy.
Anyone who "defames, insults or threatens the king, queen, heir apparent or regent" can face punishment of three to 15 years in prison per count.
King Rama X demands a strict private life but is known as a "playboy", who reportedly has 20 "sex soldiers", his own pleasure room, a poodle he named Air Chief Marshal and a mistress he had locked up in jail.
He is renowned for his outrageous demands and chequered love life, and has three ex-wives and seven children.
Anchan's case dates back six years, at a time when anti-establishment sentiment was growing after a military coup led by Prayuth, Commander of the Royal Thai Army in 2014.
In the wake of the controversial coup, at least 169 people were charged with lese majeste according to the Thai Lawyers for Human Rights.
Security officials stormed Anchan's home in January 2015 and she was held in jail until November 2018.
The case was first heard in military court, where she denied the charges.
It was transferred to a criminal court after the 2019 general election, where she pled guilty in a bid to be shown leniency for sharing the audio clips.
Anchan told local media, "I thought it was nothing. There were so many people who shared this content and listened to it. The guy (who made the content) had done it for so many years.
"So I didn't really think this through and was too confident and not being careful enough to realise at the time that it wasn't appropriate."
Civilians can face punishment for liking and commenting on posts that insult the monarchy under the ruthless Article 112.
The country saw a brief hiatus from enforcing the lese majeste law in 2018, a move Prime Minister, Prayuth Chan-ocha, said was due to “His Majesty’s mercy”.
However, it was reinstated last year after leaders of rebellious protestors began openly criticising the monarchy.
Tens of thousands of protestors gathered to challenge the royal family's immense wealth and power, while criticising King Maha Vajiralongkorn.
Activists demanded reform and request the institution to be held accountable under the constitution.
More than 40 youth activists, including students as young as 16, have been charged under the decree since November 2020 – but none of them brought to trial.
Amnesty International and UN experts have condemned Anchan's shocking sentence and criticised the harsh le majeste law.
The 65-year-old had worked as a civil servant for 40 years and was arrested just one year before she was due to retire.
The unprecedented conviction means she will lose her pension.
Her legal team said the sentence can be appealed at two higher courts.
She was assisted throughout the case by the group Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, who actively advocate change and support protestors facing jail.
In a Facebook post, the group allege at the start of this year an individual was held in a psychiatric hospital monitored by state officials after wearing a shirt that read "I have lost faith in the monarchy."
Thailand is currently under the rule of Emergency Decree due to the coronavirus pandemic.
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