Section 112 (Lèse-majesté)
The criminal offence of defaming, insulting, or threatening the Thai King, Queen, Heir-Apparent, or Regent — three to fifteen years per offence, stacked per message.
Section 112 of the Thai Criminal Code prescribes three to fifteen years' imprisonment for anyone who "defames, insults or threatens" the King, the Queen, the Heir-Apparent, or the Regent. Since the resumption of mass §112 prosecutions in November 2020, Thai Lawyers for Human Rights have documented 272 individuals charged across 303 cases, with a conviction rate of approximately 79%. Because each defamatory statement is treated as a separate offence, sentences stack per Facebook post, tweet, or speech act. The current record is a cumulative 50-year sentence imposed on appeal in January 2024.
Examples
- Anchan Preelerd (2021) — 87 years initial, halved to 43.5 on guilty plea.
- Mongkhon T. (January 2024, Court of Appeal) — 50-year cumulative record.
Sources
- §112 prosecution statistics — April 2024 update — Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, April 2024
- 50-year §112 sentence — Mongkhon T. — Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, January 2024
- Thailand: lèse-majesté verdicts reach 100 in less than two years — FIDH, November 2023
- 50-year lèse-majesté term a record, say lawyers — Bangkok Post, January 2024
- Thailand sentences man to record 50 years in prison for insulting monarchy — CNN, January 2024