Thai lawyer Arnon Nampa's total jail term passes 34 years after questioning the monarchy

The total prison term of Thai human rights lawyer Arnon Nampa now stands at more than 34 years. On Friday, a Bangkok court sentenced him to a further two years and eight months for violating the lese-majeste law, known as Section 112, concerning insult to the royal family.

A total of 14 cases have been filed against the 42-year-old Arnon on the same charge; this latest verdict was given in only one of them. Verdicts in two more cases are still pending.

Arnon's alleged offence was demanding oversight and accountability over the activities of Thailand's powerful monarchy. In 2020, at a 'Harry Potter'-themed protest rally in central Bangkok, he appeared dressed as Harry Potter and raised that demand.

Arnon told reporters: 'This is no surprise to me. If the country were more open, we would be able to speak freely about these things.'

In the courtroom Arnon reached out to hug his three-year-old son, whom his partner had brought to court to see his father. A drawing by Arnon's 10-year-old daughter shows her father looking out from behind prison bars.

The past six years have seen the widest use of the lese-majeste law in Thailand's history. The law was applied in reaction to student protests in 2020, in which demands were raised for the first time for open discussion of the monarchy's role. Legal action has been taken against 294 people, including 20 under the age of 18, resulting in sentences of up to 50 years for some. Many of their trials are still ongoing.

Most people accused under this law are not granted bail and are kept in prison, while their trial process can drag on for years.

Section 112 of the Thai penal code states that anyone who defames, insults or threatens the king, queen, heir to the throne or regent will be punished with three to 15 years in prison.

In practice, however, the law is interpreted extremely broadly, the report said. Legal action has been taken for negative comments about a member of the royal family, the institution of monarchy itself, a king who died long ago, and in one case even the king's pet dog.

Akarachai Chaimaneekarakate, assistant director of Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, said he could state what the original text of the law says, but could not give a specific definition of how courts interpret the words 'defame' or 'insult', because those words are extremely vague and ambiguous. Even questioning the law itself can be treated as an offence under Section 112, he said.

Thai officials generally argue in defence of the law that it reflects Thailand's culture and history, in which the monarchy is one of the nation's main pillars and deeply revered by most Thai citizens.

From the cell in Bangkok Remand Prison where Arnon has been held for the past three years, he has been writing letters to his young son and daughter. In one letter he wrote about winter winds bringing back memories of the past, and said he would feel that time every winter day until he is freed.