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The Criminal Court has sentenced lawyer and protest leader Arnon Nampa and four co-defendants to two years and eight months in prison each for royal defamation, without suspension.
The sentences were reduced by one-third from four years. Arnon's cumulative prison term across all cases now stands at 38 years, while two other defendants, Parit "Penguin" Chiwarak and Panupong "Mike" Jadnok, remain at large.
The court on Thursday delivered its ruling in a case brought by public prosecutors against seven defendants, including Arnon, Parit, Panupong, Wannawalee Thammasatya, Pongsathorn Tancharoen, Phromsorn Weerathamjaree and Nawat Liangwattana. They were charged under Section 112 of the Criminal Code, known as the lese-majeste law.
The case stemmed from a protest organised by the United Front of Thammasat and Demonstration and the Free Youth movement, involving around 2,000 people outside Siam Commercial Bank headquarters in Bangkok's Chatuchak district on Nov 25, 2020.
The demonstrators called for then-prime minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to resign, constitutional amendments and monarchy reform. Protest leaders took turns addressing the rally. All defendants denied the charges.
The court ruled that the prosecution's witnesses gave consistent, credible testimony and found the defence's evidence insufficient to rebut the allegations. It held that the defendants' actions went beyond constitutionally protected freedom of assembly.
The court convicted the five defendants, imposing four-year prison terms on each before reducing them by one-third in recognition of testimony that had benefited the proceedings.
Human rights lawyer Kritsadang Nutcharat, representing the defendants, said following the ruling that Parit and Panupong had not appeared in court. He added that Arnon faced several other pending cases, mostly under Section 112.
He said applications for bail would be submitted for defendants who had no other outstanding detention warrants, allowing them to pursue appeals.
