Thailand: 50-Year Sentence for Insulting the Monarchy

A man in Thailand has been sentenced to 50 years in prison for insulting the monarchy, according to a local human rights organization. Thai law, known as Article 112, protects the king and his family from any criticism.

Puritikon Sarakul, 43, was accused of publishing ten messages between 2021 and 2022 referring to King Maha Vajiralongkorn on the "Guillotine Activists for Democracy" Twitter account.

The court sentenced him to three years in prison for each message, adding 30 years to the 20 years he had already received in December for other posts. The decision was made in absentia, as he lives in exile abroad.

Thai Lawyers for Human Rights described the sentence as one of the harshest ever imposed in a case related to Article 112.

A 32-year-old clothing vendor, Mongkol Tirakot, was sentenced in 2024 to over 50 years in prison for offensive Facebook posts. Anchan Preeler, a former public employee, was released in August 2025 following a royal pardon, having served eight years of her 43-year sentence.

According to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, nearly 300 people have been prosecuted since 2020. Critics denounce the lese-majeste law as a tool to suppress dissent.