An appeals court in Thailand has handed a political activist what is believed to be a record-long sentence for the criminal offense of insulting the monarchy, giving him a 50-year prison term after finding him guilty of 25 violations of the law. An appeals court in Thailand has handed a political activist what is believed to be a record-long sentence for the criminal offense of insulting the monarchy, giving him a 50-year prison term after finding him guilty of 25 violations of the law. Technically, he had been given a prison term of 75 years, but the sentence was cut by one-third in acknowledgement of his cooperation in the legal proceedings. The law on insulting the monarchy, an offense known as lèse-majesté, carries a prison term of three to 15 years for each count. The previous record prison term for the offense belonged to a former civil servant identified by the lawyers’ group only by her first name, Anchan.

Source: ABC News January 19, 2024 12:18 UTC