A Thai man named Mongkol Thirakot, 30, has been sentenced to 50 years in jail by a court in Thailand for Facebook comments deemed to have defamed the monarchy on Jan. 18, 2024, according to the BBC.

Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR), an organisation that provides legal assistance, said Thirakot's sentencing is believed to be a record under the Lese Majeste Law.

He was originally sentenced to 28 years in jail, but an appeals court added an extra 22 years to the sentence on Jan. 18, 2024.

What happened

Thirakot, who is an online clothing vendor from Chiang Rai province, was punished under the law for 27 posts he published on Facebook, according to Bangkok Post.

The court initially handed Thirakort a 42-year sentence, but was reduced to 28 years.

Then the appeal court gave Thirakort an additional three years for each count, for a total of 33 years. This was reduced by one-third to 22 years for providing "useful information." The final sentence was 50 years.

The Bangkok Post reported that Thirakot is an activist and was first arrested in April 2021 during a protest in support of political prisoners.

The Lese Majeste law

The Lese Majeste law penalises any criticism of the monarchy and carries a maximum of 15 years in prison for each charge.

Pita Limjaroenrat, former leader of the Move Forward Party (MFP), proposed to reform the law during the 2023 Thai General Elections.

The MFP won the highest number of seats among all contesting parties. However, he was blocked from becoming prime minister and suspended as a member of parliament.

Conservatives had called the party's proposition to amend the law an act to create more divisions in the country.

Other sentencing under the Lese Majeste Law

A day before Thirakot's sentencing on Jan. 17, 2024, lawyer and activist Arnon Nampa was given an additional four years in jail by the Criminal Court for defaming the monarchy in three Facebook posts in January 2021, according to The Nation.

He would spend eight years in jail under the new sentence.

Nampa actively campaigned against the enforcement of the Lese Majeste law.

In March 2023, a 26-year-old Thai man was sentenced two years in jail for supposedly defaming Thai King Vajiralongkorn, also known as Rama X.

The man had sold a "Yellow Duck Calendar 2021" on a "Ratsadorn" Facebook page, which shared a name with a Thai anti-establishment activist movement.

The ducks on the calendar wore garments similar to that worn by the king and was judged to "have resembled the monarch".

His sentence was reduced by one year due to being cooperative with the authorities.

Top image via TLHR's website