Thai activist Arnon Nampa receives new royal defamation sentence

A Bangkok court sentenced human rights lawyer and pro-democracy activist Arnon Nampa to two years and eight months in prison on 30 October for royal defamation. Four other defendants received the same sentence.

The case concerned speeches at a November 2020 protest outside Siam Commercial Bank’s headquarters. Arnon’s lawyer told AFP that he had called for greater transparency over a transfer of bank shares from the Crown Property Bureau.

The defendants denied the charges and argued that their conduct was protected by the constitutional right to assembly. The court rejected that argument, finding that their remarks exceeded lawful limits and insulted and defamed the monarchy, according to The Nation Thailand.

Thai Lawyers for Human Rights says the prison sentences imposed on Arnon in cases that have not concluded add up to more than 34 years. That figure includes sentences for offences other than royal defamation; it is a sum of penalties imposed, not a settled estimate of how long he will serve. He has been detained since 2023, and appeals are ongoing.

Arnon became prominent during youth-led protests in 2020. At a separate rally in August that year, he dressed as Harry Potter and called for scrutiny of the monarchy’s power and wealth. A court convicted him in a separate case over that demonstration in 2024.

Thailand’s royal defamation law, known as Article 112, carries a penalty of three to 15 years for defaming, insulting or threatening the king, queen, heir or regent. Thai officials have defended the law as reflecting the country’s history and reverence for the monarchy; critics say it suppresses dissent.

In 2024, a UN working group found Arnon’s detention arbitrary and called for his immediate release.