An opposition Member of Parliament (MP) in Thailand has been sentenced to two years in prison on a royal defamation charge, Bangkok Post and Reuters reported.

31-year-old Chonthicha Jangrew, MP of the Move Forward Party (MFP), was handed the sentence by a Thai Provincial Court on Monday (May 27).

Chonthicha was charged after she and nine other activists protested in front of the court in Thanyaburi district in Pathum Thani on Sep. 11, 2021, to call for the release of political prisoners.

The Lese Majeste law penalises any criticism of the monarchy and carries a maximum of 15 years in prison for each charge. Thailand has one of the strictest Lese Majeste laws in the world.

Chonthicha has been released on bail. According to Bangkok Post, she will be appealing her sentence in the Appeal Court.

One of three MFP MPs facing Lese Majeste charges

Chonthicha is one of three MFP MPs facing Lese Majeste charges.

One of its lawmakers, Piyarat Jongthep, faces three Lese Majeste charges related to activities he was involved in during anti-government protests in 2020 and 2021.

Piyarat is the leader of the WeVo guards, a volunteer group that provides security and keeps safety and decorum at anti-government rallies.

Another MFP lawmaker, Rukchanok Srinork, was sentenced in December last year to six years in prison, without suspension, for insulting the monarchy on social media, Aljazeera reported.

She is currently released on bail while appealing her charges.

MFP won the most number of seats in parliament in last year's general election but is facing threat of dissolution following the party's efforts to push for the amendment or abolishment of the "Lese Majeste" monarchy law, or the royal defamation law.

The MFP, formerly led by Pita Limjaroenrat, had proposed to amend the Lese Majeste law during the 2023 General Election.

272 people charged under Lese Majeste since 2020

Chonthicha's ruling came just two weeks after Thai political activist "Bung" Netiporn Sanesangkhom, who was detained on a charge of royal defamation, died during custody while on hunger strike. 

According to Reuters, 272 people have been charged under the Lese Majeste since 2020.

Read more:

Top image via Lookkate Chonthicha - ลูกเกด ชลธิชา แจ้งเร็ว/Facebook.