The Thai Lawyers for Human Rights Association has confirmed that a 43-year-old man was recently sentenced to 18 months in prison by a Thai criminal court for making remarks in a private Facebook group allegedly insulting the monarchy.
According to AFP, the spokesperson for the Thai Lawyers for Human Rights Association (TLHR), Norpo, stated on the 19th that the man got into trouble for comments he made in the private Facebook group "Royalist Marketplace", which has 2.2 million members. The group was created by Pavin, a monarchy critic and academic living in exile overseas, and serves as a platform for discussing the monarchy. Such a platform is unprecedented in Thai society.
Norpo said that the court initially sentenced the man to three years in prison, but because he pleaded guilty, the sentence was halved. The man has currently been granted bail of 100,000 baht and is awaiting the result of his appeal.
The "Royalist Marketplace" group became active following the 2020 and 2021 protests, during which demonstrators called for reform of the monarchy and amendments to the lèse-majesté law. Later, as many activists faced lèse-majesté and other criminal charges, the movement gradually lost momentum.
According to data from the Thai Lawyers for Human Rights Association, since 2020, a total of 291 people have been prosecuted under the lèse-majesté law.
So far, at least 17 people have been prosecuted for remarks made in the "Royalist Marketplace" group.