BANGKOK (AFP): A Thai court on Tuesday extended the prison sentence of a man convicted for criticising the country's king to 50 years, one of the longest terms imposed under the kingdom's strict royal insult law, a legal rights group said.
Thailand's lese-majeste law shields King Maha Vajiralongkorn and his family from criticism and carries a maximum sentence of up to 15 years per offence.
The criminal court sentenced Phuritikon Sarakul to 30 years under the law over posts made on his social media account between 2021 and 2022, Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR) said in a statement.
In December, the 43-year-old who lives outside of Thailand was sentenced in absentia to 20 years in prison for the same offence over separate internet posts, the rights group said.
The combined sentences, totalling five decades in prison, meant he had received one of the "harshest sentences under Section 112 in history", TLHR said, referring to the law by its provision in the penal code.
Rights groups and critics say the lese-majeste law has long been used to stifle dissent and silence political opponents.
At least 289 people have been charged under the law since 2020, according to TLHR.
In 2024, a clothing vendor was sentenced to 50 years in prison for insulting the monarchy over posts made on his personal Facebook account.
Last year, a former civil servant sentenced to a 43-year term under lese-majeste laws was freed from prison after eight years when she received a royal pardon.
The woman, who confessed, had shared audio clips online of a podcaster who was critical of the monarchy.
The latest verdict came days after a national election in which the conservative, pro-royalist Bhumjaithai party secured a surprise victory, according to preliminary results.
The previous version of the reformist People's Party campaigned on amending the royal insult law ahead of the last election in 2023.
But the constitutional court ruled the following year that its pledge amounted to an attempt to overthrow the constitutional monarchy, and dissolved the party.
The issue was absent from People's Party most recent campaign and it finished second in Sunday's election. -- AFP
