Thai activist sentenced to 28 years for online posts on king

Political activist Mongkhon Thirakot flashes the pro-democracy gesture of a three-finger salute ahead of going to a court in Thailand's northern province of Chiang Rai, Thailand, Thursday Jan. 26, 2023. Mongkhon has been sentenced to 28 years in prison for the crime of insulting the king in posts he uploaded to Facebook. - AP

BANGKOK, Jan 27 (AP): A court in Thailand sentenced a 27-year-old political activist to 28 years in prison on Thursday evening (Jan 26) for posting messages on Facebook that it said defamed the country’s monarchy, while two young women charged with the same offence continued a hunger strike after being hospitalised.

The court in the northern province of Chiang Rai found that Mongkhon Thirakot violated the lese majeste law in 14 of 27 posts for which he was arrested last August. The law covers the current king, his queen and heirs, and any regent.