court on February 20, 2026, sentenced a prominent free speech activist and three others to 32 months in prison for criticizing King Maha Vajiralongkorn under Thailand's royal insult law, Human Rights Watch said today.
The Bangkok Criminal Court found Pimsiri Petchnamrob, 35, guilty of lese majeste (insulting the monarchy) for her speech during a democracy rally in Bangkok in November 2020 that criticized what she considered to be the monarchy's unchecked power. She was also convicted for referring to a 2017 statement by the United Nations expert on freedom of expression that the lese majeste law should have no place in a democratic country. She was also found guilty of violating Covid-19 containment measures and using loudspeakers without permission.
"Sentencing free speech activists to prison sends a chilling message that the monarchy and the law protecting it are untouchable," said Elaine Pearson, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "The government's prosecution of Pimsiri specifically for criticizing the lese majeste law marks further backsliding on fundamental freedoms in Thailand."
Three other democracy activists-Arnon Nampa, Somyot Pruksakaseksuk, and Promsorn Viradhammajari-were also convicted at the same trial of lese majeste charges and sentenced to two years and eight months for criticizing the king.
The four defendents' original sentences of four years were reduced by one-third because the court considered their testimony useful. Hours after being sentenced, the court granted Pimsiri bail of 150,000 Thai baht (US$4,800) on the condition that she remain in Thailand and not reoffend while she appeals the verdict.
The court's decision appears to follow the Constitutional Court's ruling in January 2024 that the campaign to amend the lese majeste law amounted to an attempt to abolish Thailand's constitutional democracy with the king as head of state, Human Rights Watch said.
The continued use of Penal Code section 112 on lese majeste, which carries punishment from 3 to 15 years in prison for each offense, amounts to excessive restriction on the right to freedom of expression. Since the military coup in 2014, at least 1,987 people have been prosecuted in Thailand for exercising their rights to free expression and peaceful assembly, including at least 285 who faced lese majeste charges.
In July 2025, UN human rights experts issued a statement urging Thai authorities to drop charges against Pimsiri and other activists on trial.
Thai authorities have often detained critics of the monarchy for months before trial without access to bail. Arnon, one of the four defendants and a human rights lawyer, also faces 14 royal defamation charges related to his speeches and online commentary calling for reforms of the monarchy. All of his bail applications have been denied. In August 2024, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention called for his immediate release.
The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which Thailand has ratified, protects the right to freedom of expression. The United Nations Human Rights Committee, the international expert body that monitors compliance with the covenant, has stated in its General Comment No. 34 that laws such as those for lese majeste "should not provide for more severe penalties solely on the basis of the identity of the person that may have been impugned" and that governments "should not prohibit criticism of institutions."
Thailand, a current member of the UN Human Rights Council, supported multiple recommendations regarding freedom of expression from its 2021 Universal Periodic Review, but has made no progress implementing them. Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has opposed efforts to reform Penal Code section 112. His conservative Bhum Jai Thai Party, which won the general election on February 8, has rejected a proposal to pardon those charged with lese majeste or to adopt a moratorium on prosecutions and pretrial detention of people under the law.
"The abuse of lese majeste charges in Thailand should end and all those held should be released," Pearson said. "As Thailand prepares to have its human rights record reviewed at the UN Human Rights Council in November, the United Nations and concerned governments should urge Thailand to promote free expression and other fundamental freedoms rather than suppress them."
