Thai Opposition MP Sentenced to Jail For Insulting Monarchy

By Linda Khoo Hui Li

BANGKOK, Dec 14 (Bernama) -- A Thai opposition Member of Parliament (MP) has been sentenced to six years in jail for posts insulting the monarchy.

Bangkok Criminal Court on Wednesday found Rukchanok Srinork, the Move Forward Party (MFP) MP for Bangkok, guilty of insulting the monarch.

The 29-year-old, an activist-turned-lawmaker, was found guilty of an offence under Section 112 of the Criminal Code and Section 14 (2) of Computer Crime Act 2007.

According to a court statement, Rukchanok was found guilty over two posts made in 2020 related to the monarchy and COVID-19 vaccines in 2020 on social media platform Twitter which is now known as “X”.

She denied all charges.

Rukchanok was later granted bail of US$14,208 (500,000 baht) on the condition that she not re-offend.

A court statement said Rukchanok made no effort to present evidence to prove her innocence.  

“This behaviour was unusual for a Thai person who must respect and avoid offending the monarch,” the statement said.

According to data from Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR), at least 262 people have been charged with insulting the monarchy, under Section 112 of the Criminal Code, since 2020.

-- BERNAMA