Sawt Falasteen - Thai man serving record royal insult sentence faces new charges

Mongkol Thirakot, 31, was sentenced last year to at least 50 years in prison on royal defamation charges for posts made on his personal Facebook account several years ago.

The record-breaking sentence came after several years in which Thailand ramped up use of the controversial legislation against pro-democracy protesters in what critics say is a tactic to silence dissent.

"Police have charged him with three more counts of royal defamation over three Facebook posts from 2022," said Noppol Achamas from Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR).

He told AFP that Mongkol faces at least nine more years in prison.

The lese-majeste law, which shields King Maha Vajiralongkorn and his close family from criticism, is often referred to as 112 in Thailand after the relevant section of the criminal code.

When Mongkol was sentenced in January last year, TLHR said it was the longest jail term handed down for royal defamation, beating the previous record of 43 years imposed on a woman in 2021.

Mongkol, who owns an online clothing store in Thailand's north, is currently being held in Chiang Rai Central Prison.

He has filed an appeal to the Supreme Court on his earlier sentence, according to TLHR.

More than 250 activists have been charged under lese-majeste laws since the 2020 protest movement began, according to the rights group.

I.Yassin--SF-PST