A 30-year-old man found himself in the middle of a record-breaking sentence not yet seen in the history of Thailand’s strict lese majeste law after criticizing the country’s centuries-old monarchy.
Former pro-democracy activist Mongkol Thirakot was sentenced to 50 years over the alleged offending posts on his personal Facebook account.
The lower court initially sentenced him to 28 years.
However, he was found guilty on 11 more counts during his appeal, resulting in a longer sentence.
The appeals court added an extra 22 years to the sentence on Thursday.
The 50-year prison term is said to be the highest sentence granted under Thailand’s strict lese majeste law.
Section 112 of the Thai Criminal Code declares it illegal to defame, insult, or threaten the monarch of Thailand which covers the king, queen, heir-apparent, heir-presumptive, or regent of Thailand.
Thailand’s lese majeste law is one of the strictest in the world, with penalties ranging from three to fifteen years imprisonment for each count.
