Thai Court Gives Record 43-year Sentence for Insulting King

A woman identified only by her first name Anchan (R) talks to her friend as she arrives at the Bangkok Criminal Court in Bangkok, Thailand, on Jan. 19, 2021. AP Photo

BANGKOK—A court in Thailand on Tuesday sentenced a former civil servant to a record prison term of 43 years and six months for breaching the country’s strict law on insulting or defaming the monarchy, lawyers said.

The Bangkok Criminal Court found the woman guilty on 29 counts of violating the country’s lese majeste law for posting audio clips to Facebook and YouTube with comments deemed critical of the monarchy, the group Thai Lawyers for Human Rights said.