A court in Thailand has sentenced Chonthicha Jaengraew, a musician, activist, and lawmaker from the Move Forward Party (MFP), to two years in prison for insulting the monarchy.
Chonthicha was found guilty by the Thanyaburi Court, located north of Bangkok, for violating Thailand’s strict lese-majeste laws following an anti-government protest speech she made in 2021.
These laws, among the strictest in the world, aim to protect Thailand’s monarchy from criticism, with potential jail terms of up to 15 years for each offense.
Chonthicha was initially facing a three-year sentence, but her cooperation with the court proceedings led to a reduced term of two years, according to her lawyer. She has been released on bail of 150,000 baht ($4,000) pending an appeal.
The Move Forward Party, which secured the most seats in last year’s parliamentary elections, is grappling with its own legal challenges, particularly over its previous proposal to amend the royal insult law that protects the monarchy from criticism.
Since 2020, over 272 individuals have been charged with insulting the monarchy, with 17 currently in pre-trial detention, as reported by newsmen. There are concerns that the lese-majeste laws are being misused to suppress legitimate political discourse. Last year, another MFP member, Rukchanok Srinork, was sentenced to six years in prison for social media posts critical of the monarchy.
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