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The Observatory has been informed about the ninth and latest conviction and prison sentence of Mr Anon Nampa, a prominent pro-democracy activist and human rights lawyer who has been arbitrarily imprisoned since 26 September 2023.
On 25 June 2025, Anon Nampa, was sentenced
to two years and eight months in prison by the Bangkok Criminal Court
under Article 112 of Thailand’s Criminal Code (“lèse-majesté”), marking his ninth conviction and bringing his cumulative sentence to over 26 years. The charges stemmed from a speech he delivered
during a peaceful demonstration at Bangkok’s Latphrao intersection on 2
December 2020. The court initially sentenced Anon Nampa to four years
in prison but reduced the term to two years and eight months because he
provided "useful testimony" during the trial.
Anon Nampa has been held
at the Bangkok Remand Prison, where he has been arbitrarily imprisoned
since his first lèse-majesté conviction on 26 September 2023. All
convictions are currently under appeal while numerous bail applications
have been consistently denied. Anon Nampa continues to deny the
lèse-majesté charges, maintaining that his speech and remarks
constituted legitimate and constructive criticism, and were protected by
his right to freedom of expression.
On 22 May 2025, in recognition of his unwavering commitment to
advancing and safeguarding human rights despite facing significant
threats and serious risks to his own personal safety, Anon Nampa was
awarded the Front Line Defenders Award for Human Rights Defenders at Risk for 2025.
The latest Bangkok Criminal Court decision adds to a series of
previous convictions related to his public statements and his advocacy
for human rights and democratic reforms in Thailand.
The Observatory notes with grave concern that this most recent ruling
constitutes Anon Nampa’s ninth conviction and prison term under Article
112 of the Criminal Code. All of these convictions and sentences were
related to his criticism of the Thai monarchy, which constituted a
legitimate exercise of the right to freedom of expression. In addition,
in March 2025, Mr Anon was found guilty by the Thanyaburi Provincial
Court in Pathumthani Province and sentenced to nine months in prison for
violation of Article 116 of the Criminal Code (“sedition”) in relation
to a speech he delivered during a protest at Thammasat University
(Rangsit Campus) in Pathumthani Province. In the same month, he was also
convicted of contempt of court by the Bangkok Criminal Court over an
incident occurred on 27 November 2024, when he took off his shirt in the
courtroom to protest the court’s unprecedented decision to hold his sixth lèse-majesté trial in secret. As a result, Mr Anon will now serve a total prison term of 26 years and nine months.
The Observatory recalls that on 26 September 2023, the Bangkok Criminal Court sentenced
Anon Nampa to four years in prison on one count of lèse-majesté and
imposed a fine of 20,000 baht (approximately 525 Euros) for violation of
the Emergency Decree. On 30 September 2023, the Court of Appeals
rejected Mr Anon’s request for bail, citing the severity of his sentence
and the fact that he would be a flight risk, if released on bail. On 17
January 2024, the Bangkok Criminal Court found Anon Nampa guilty of one
count of lèse-majesté and Article 14(3) of the Computer Crimes Act, and sentenced
him to four years in prison. On 29 April 2024, the Bangkok South
Criminal Court found Mr Anon guilty under one count of lèse-majesté and
the Emergency Decree, and sentenced
him to two years and 20 days in prison, for each count respectively. On
25 July 2024, the Bangkok Criminal Court found Anon Nampa guilty under
Article 112 of Thailand’s Criminal Code and Article 14 of the Computer
Crimes Act, and sentenced
him to four years in prison. On 3 December 2024, the Bangkok Criminal
Court found Anon Nampa guilty under Article 112 of Thailand’s Criminal
Code and Article 14 of the Computer Crimes Act and sentenced
him to two years in prison, reduced from three years because the court
deemed Mr Anon’s testimony useful to the trial. On 19 December 2024, the
Bangkok Criminal Court found Mr Anon guilty under lèse-majesté and
Article 116 (“sedition”) of Thailand’s Criminal Code, and sentenced
him to two years and eight months in prison, reduced from four years
because the court deemed Mr Anon’s testimony useful to the trial. On 27
March 2025, Anon Nampa was sentenced
by the Chiang Mai Provincial Court to two years in prison for
lèse-majesté, in connection with a speech he delivered in November 2020
in Chiang Mai Province. On 28 May 2025, the same court found
Anon Nampa guilty under Article 112 of Thailand’s Criminal Code
(“lèse-majesté”), and sentenced him to two years in prison. This
sentence was linked to a speech he gave on 21 December 2020 at Bang Khen
Police Station in Bangkok.
The Observatory further recalls that Anon Nampa is currently facing
legal action in connection with five more lèse-majesté cases. Prior to
his first lèse-majesté conviction, Mr Anon was arbitrarily detained
twice. From 9 February to 1 June 2021, he was detained for 113 days on
charges of lèse-majesté and sedition. These charges were related to a
speech concerning the Thai monarchy that he delivered during a peaceful
pro-democracy protest at Bangkok’s Sanam Luang on 19 September 2020. The
second detention spanned 202 days, from 11 August 2021 to 28 February
2022, in relation to 12 additional lèse-majesté cases. His temporary
release requests were denied numerous times.
The Observatory recalls that on 30 August 2024, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) found
Anon Nampa’s detention to be “arbitrary” and urged the Thai government
to release him “immediately” and “accord him an enforceable right to
compensation and other reparations”, in response to a petition filed jointly by the Observatory and Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR) on 5 March 2024.
The Observatory notes with concern that between 19 November 2020 and
24 June 2025, 281 people, including many human rights defenders and 20
minors, were charged under Article 112 of the Criminal Code. 17 of them
are currently detained pending trial or appeal, and 13 more are serving
prison sentences. On 14 May 2024, youth activist Netiporn “Bung” Sanesangkhom, who was arbitrarily held in pre-trial detention under “lèse-majesté” charges, died in custody after a prolonged hunger strike that had ended in April 2024.
The Observatory strongly condemns the recent conviction, sentencing,
and continued arbitrary imprisonment of Anon Nampa, along with the
ongoing judicial harassment against him. These actions appear to be
solely aimed at punishing him for his legitimate human rights activities
and the exercise of his rights to freedom of expression and of peaceful
assembly.
The Observatory calls on the Thai authorities to immediately and
unconditionally release Mr Anon and all other arbitrarily detained human
rights defenders in the country and to put an end to all forms of
judicial harassment against them.
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