Thailand: Lawmaker jailed for disparaging remark on monarchy

A female Member of Parliament (MP) in Thailand, Rukchanok “Ice” Srinork, has been sentenced to six years in prison and risks losing her seat if bail is denied. The charges stem from alleged disparaging remarks about the monarchy made on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, to which she pleaded not guilty.

Ice’s Move Forward party, advocating lese-majeste law reform, secured victory in this year’s election. However, the unelected senate utilized the party’s stance on reform as the primary reason to hinder their government establishment efforts.

The roots of the widespread protests in 2020 were, in part, opposition to the lese-majeste laws. Thai Lawyers for Human Rights reports approximately 260 charges under the law since 2020, affecting around 2,000 individuals involved in the protests.

Recent incidents include the imprisonment of a 26-year-old man for shouting at a royal motorcade, released on bail afterward. Ice was found guilty on Wednesday for posts criticizing the pandemic response and sharing a tweet critical of the monarchy before joining Move Forward.

Ice’s victory in Bang Bon, a constituency near Bangkok, was a significant upset, earning her the nickname “giant-killer.” Notably, other Move Forward party figures, many 2020 activists, also face lese-majeste charges.

The 2020 protests were triggered by the dissolution of Future Forward, Move Forward’s predecessor, which campaigned for institutional reform. Move Forward’s success in 2023 surpassed expectations, winning the most seats in the election, including Ice’s victory.

King Vajiralongkorn’s ascent in 2016 briefly saw a suspension of lese-majeste law enforcement, but the 2020 protests led to its resurgence. The law’s broad scope makes legal defense challenging, and guilty pleas are common due to the near certainty of conviction.

Trials in Thailand, often held in camera without independent observers, can last for years. This judicial attrition has effectively stifled the protest movement, leaving activists entangled in ongoing court hearings, limiting their ability to organize and lead.