A Thai human rights lawyer who publicly questioned the country’s monarchy while dressed as Harry Potter during a protest has received cumulative prison sentences exceeding 34 years under Thailand’s strict royal defamation law.
Arnon Nampa, 42, was sentenced to another two years and eight months in prison by a Bangkok court on Friday (30), bringing his total prison term to more than 34 years, according to the BBC and AFP.
Arnon rose to prominence during Thailand’s student-led pro-democracy protests in 2020, when tens of thousands of demonstrators demanded political reforms and greater accountability from the country’s powerful monarchy.
In August 2020, he appeared at a Harry Potter-themed demonstration dressed as the fictional wizard and delivered a speech calling for greater public scrutiny of the monarchy, challenging a long-standing taboo in Thai society.
His latest conviction relates to a separate protest held outside the headquarters of Siam Commercial Bank in November 2020, where demonstrators questioned the management of royal assets and called for greater transparency.
Arnon and four other activists received prison sentences of two years and eight months each under Thailand’s lèse-majesté law, also known as Section 112 of the Criminal Code.
The legislation criminalises defaming, insulting or threatening the king, queen, heir-apparent or regent and carries severe prison sentences.
Arnon has been imprisoned since 2023 over multiple convictions linked to his protest activities and social media posts.
According to the BBC, he has faced 14 cases under the royal defamation law, with verdicts in two cases still pending.
His lawyer, Krisadang Nutcharut, criticised the use of the legislation against political activists, arguing that it had become a tool to silence opponents.
Thailand’s monarchy has traditionally occupied a highly protected position in the country’s political system, with criticism of the royal institution subject to criminal prosecution.
According to the BBC, 294 people have been prosecuted under the lèse-majesté law since 2020, with some receiving prison sentences of up to 50 years.
Arnon’s case has attracted international attention over concerns about freedom of expression and the treatment of pro-democracy activists in Thailand.
The cumulative sentence arises from multiple convictions rather than solely from his Harry Potter-themed protest speech. (Newswire)