A human rights organisation added that 69-year-old Anchan Preelert was among the six political prisoners freed under a pardon issued on July 29 to mark King Maha Vajiralongkorn's birthday
Thailand's Anchan Preelert gestures after her release from the Central Women's Correctional Institution in Bangkok on Wednesday. PIC/AFP
A Thai woman sentenced to 43 years in prison for defaming the monarchy was released on Wednesday under a royal pardon, after serving just under one-fifth of her sentence, the Thai Lawyers for Human Rights said.
The human rights organisation added that 69-year-old Anchan Preelert was among the six political prisoners freed under a pardon issued on July 29 to mark King Maha Vajiralongkorn's birthday.
A former civil servant, Anchan had been sentenced four years ago in January by the Bangkok Criminal Court on 29 counts of violating Thailand’s lese majeste law for posting audio clips on Facebook and YouTube that were deemed critical of the monarchy, news agency AP reported.
She was initially sentenced to 87 years — the longest such sentence ever handed down at the time — but her term was halved to 43 years and six months after she pleaded guilty.
Violations of Thailand’s royal defamation law carry sentences of three to 15 years per count, reported AP. The law is controversial because it can be triggered not just by direct criticism of the monarchy but even for actions as minor as liking a post on social media. Complaints can be lodged by anyone, not only royals or authorities, and critics say the law is often used to suppress political dissent.
Anchan, who was wearing a white t-shirt and face mask, was greeted with hugs from friends and family and received bouquets of flowers from supporters as she walked out of Bangkok’s Central Women’s Correctional Institution, where she spent eight years and four months, including pre-trial detention, after her arrest in 2015, AP reported.
“I feel immensely happy. I want to be free for a long time because I’m getting old and my time is running short now,” Anchan told reporters, adding, “For over eight years, it felt like it was all my life; it was bitter because it was not my place to be. It was torturous; it doesn’t matter whether it’s comfortable or not, but it isn’t my home.”
According to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, more than 270 people have been charged with lese majeste since early 2020, when student-led pro-democracy protests demanded reforms to Thailand’s monarchy.
Last year, an appeals court handed political activist Mongkhon Thirakot in northern Chiang Rai province a record 50-year prison term for lese majeste violations.
Public criticism of the monarchy, traditionally rare in Thailand, began gaining traction after the 2020 protests, which openly challenged the institution. This led to vigorous prosecutions under a law that had previously been little used.
More than 50 people remain in prison as political prisoners, of whom 32 face charges of insulting or defaming the monarchy, Thai Lawyers for Human Rights said.
Last week, former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was acquitted of a royal defamation charge after the Bangkok Criminal Court found the evidence and witnesses against him insufficient. He was originally charged in 2016 over remarks made to journalists in South Korea a year earlier.
The same court on Tuesday acquitted Piyarat Chongthep, an opposition People’s Party lawmaker, of royal defamation for posting messages criticising how protests in 2020 were dispersed and referring to the alleged involvement of the king. The court said there was no clear evidence that he personally posted the messages on his Facebook account.
(With AP inputs)
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