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The Observatory has been informed about the tenth 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 9 July 2025, the Bangkok Criminal Court sentenced Anon Nampa to two years in prison under Article 112 (“lèse-majesté”) and four months under Article 116 (“sedition”) of the Criminal Code.
These charges stemmed from a speech he delivered at a protest in front
of Parliament in Bangkok on 17 November 2020. The protest, led by Khana Ratsadon 2020
- a student-led pro-democracy movement - coincided with a parliamentary
session to consider draft amendments to the 2017 Constitution,
including one submitted by the civil society organisation iLaw, which
had received over 100,000 signatures. The protesters from Khana Ratsadon
2020 demanded that Parliament accept the draft Constitution proposed by
iLaw. Instead, authorities responded by dispersing the demonstration
using water cannons and tear gas. The court initially sentenced Anon
Nampa to a total of three years and six months in prison but reduced the
term to two years and four months because he provided "valuable
testimony" during the trial.
All the other charges that Anon Nampa faced in connection with this
protest under Article 215 (“illegal assembly”) of the Criminal Code, the
Emergency Decree, the Communicable Disease Act, and the Public Assembly
Act were dismissed. Anon Nampa’s latest conviction has brought his
cumulative prison sentence to 29 years, one month, and 20 days.
Anon Nampa has been arbitrarily incarcerated
at the Bangkok Remand Prison 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 has
continued 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’s verdict followed 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 tenth conviction and prison term under
Articles 112 of the Criminal Code. All of his convictions and sentences
were related to his criticism of the Thai monarchy, which constituted a
legitimate exercise of his 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 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 that 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.
The Observatory recalls that on 25 June 2025, Anon Nampa, was sentenced
for the ninth time to two years and eight months in prison by the
Bangkok Criminal Court under Article 112 of the Criminal Code in
connection a speech he delivered
during a peaceful demonstration at Bangkok’s Latphrao intersection on 2
December 2020. 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 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 the 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 the 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 of lèse-majesté and
Article 116 of the 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 the Criminal Code 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 four additional cases of lèse-majesté. 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. Sixteen of
them are currently detained pending trial or appeal, and 15 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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