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🚨 HUMAN RIGHTS ALERT — Thailand’s Supreme Court Just Handed a 46-Year Prison Sentence to Pro-Democracy Activist “Bas” Mongkol Thirakhot for Facebook Posts “Defaming” the Monarchy
- Manushya Foundation
- 4 hours ago
- 3 min read
On 11 December 2025, the Chiang Rai Provincial Court read out the Supreme Court’s judgment in the case of 32-year-old pro-democracy activist Mongkol "Bas" Thirakhot, sentencing him to 46 years in prison without suspension under Section 112 and the CCA. This marks one of the highest penalties in the history of cases under the Lèse-Majesté law.
This ruling follows years of escalating punishment against Bas.
Decades for Dissent: The Case Against Activist Bas
Two cases (later merged) were filed against him in 2021: one involving 25 Facebook posts and another involving 2 posts, all made between March and April of that year.
During the trial, the Chiang Rai Provincial Court ordered closed-door proceedings, banning the public and using audio–video recording systems for witness hearings.
In January 2023, the Court ruled that 14 posts constituted offenses while dismissing the other 13. The Court dismissed the posts referring to King Rama IX or posts that could not be linked to any specific individual. Some posts included an image of King Rama X, but the court still found they did not constitute insult or defamation and thus did not meet Section 112 requirements.
He was sentenced to 3 years per count, then reduced to 2 years per count for cooperation, totaling 28 years.
After the verdict, the trial court forwarded his bail application to the Region 5 Court of Appeal, which granted bail on the same day. Later, both ‘Bas’ and the public prosecutor appealed the decision. The prosecutor sought conviction for all counts previously dismissed.
In January 2024, the Court of Appeal added 11 convictions. It disagreed with the lower court’s interpretation that Section 112 applies only to the current King and Queen, holding that 9 posts about King Rama IX were also offenses. For 2 posts the lower court had found too ambiguous to link to the current King, the Court of Appeal ruled that they clearly criticised the King and therefore constituted offenses.
It upheld acquittal for only 2 posts that did not convey insult or hatred toward the monarchy.
The sentence was of 3 years per count, reduced to 2 years per count, totaling 22 years. Combined with the earlier sentence this amounted to a total of 50 years of imprisonment.
After the sentence, the Supreme Court denied bail, stating that he was likely to flee if released. ‘Bas’ has therefore been detained at Chiang Rai Central Prison since 18 January 2024, despite a total four bail attempts.
Yesterday, the Supreme Court acquitted him of posts 8 and 9 (which included a video clip of King Rama IX answering foreign media about delays in building a dam due to communist insurgency) as it found the content insufficient to establish insult. This left 23 counts of guilt. He was sentenced to 3 years per count, reduced to 2 years per count, totaling 46 years of imprisonment.
As the previous highest sentence was the one of Anchan Preelert (43.6 years, pardoned this year), today’s verdict represents the highest penalty in the history of cases under Section 112.
Beyond this case, Bas faces two additional Section 112 cases:
Another case involving 2 Facebook posts. Both the trial court and the Court of Appeal found him guilty, sentencing him to 2 years per count + an additional 6 months based on a previous suspended sentence for trespassing, for a total of 4 years 6 months;
While he was already in custody, officers from the Technology Crime Suppression Division visited the prison to file charges related to 3 2022 Facebook posts, a case that remains under investigation.
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For us at Manushya Foundation, and for all feminists who believe in justice and democracy: 🔥THIS CASE IS NOT CLOSED.
This is a human rights emergency. This verdict is a blatant violation of freedom of expression and a frightening escalation of Thailand’s Digital Dictatorship: Section 112 and the Computer Crime Act are being weaponised to silence critics and crack down on activists.
No one expressing opinions on social media should be met with a punishment harsher than violent crime.
📢 Manushya Foundation vehemently condemns this inhumane ruling and the Thai government’s ongoing assault on freedom of expression. We call on the Thai government to remedy the violations caused by this judgement, and abolish section 112 of the criminal code! Thailand must comply with its international human rights obligations on the right to freedom of expression and information, laid down in article 19 of the UDHR and ICCPR.
Criticizing authoritarianism is not a crime!
Fighting for democracy is not a crime!
#WeAreManushyan ♾️ Equal Human Beings
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REFERENCES:
TLHR (Thai Lawyers for Human Rights)
Manushya’s posts about the previous sentences: