Rights lawyer's jail time reaches 29 years
The sentence passed on Tuesday by the Criminal Court in Bangkok brings to 29 years and 1 month the total time Arnon has to serve, according to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR). It was his 10th conviction.
All of the convictions are still being appealed but countless applications for bail for the 40-year-old Roi Et native have been denied, the lawyers' group said.
The speech that Arnon gave did not mention any royal names but it was clear who was being referred to, and those references were defamatory under Section 112 of the Criminal Code, the lese-majeste law, TLHR quoted the court as saying.
Arnon and an unnamed co-defendant were also found guilty of incitement under Section 116, the sedition law, as they called for protesters to continue the gathering at Royal Thai Police headquarters.
The court sentenced both defendants to 6 months in prison for sedition, and Arnon was sentenced to an additional 3 years for lese-majeste. As the defendants gave beneficial testimony, the sedition sentences were reduced to 4 months, and Arnon's lese-majeste sentence was reduced to 2 years, his lawyers said.
Arnon is still facing four more cases involving lese-majeste and other charges in connection with his activities as part of the reform movement that was active in 2020 and 2021.
Arnon has been held in detention since Sept 26, 2023 pending appeals against all his convictions.
According to data from TLHR to May 31 this year, 1,975 people have been prosecuted for political participation and expression since the beginning of the Free Youth protests in July 2020. At least 281 are facing lese-majeste charges under Section 112 and 156 have been charged with sedition under Section 116.
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