Thai court sentences political activist to two years in prison for insulting Queen

Jatuporn ‘New’ Saeoueng’s traditional attire during protest in 2020 interpreted as ‘insulting’ to Queen

A Thai court on Monday sentenced a 25-year-old political activist, Jatuporn Saeoueng, to two years in prison for ‘mocking’ the queen during a protest in 2020 (Jatuporn Saeoueng / Facebook)

An activist in Thailand was sentenced to two years in prison under the royal defamation law by a court on Monday.

Jatuporn “New” Saeoueng, 25, was sentenced to two years for attending a pro-democracy protest in October 2020 in traditional Thai attire that the court interpreted as “mocking” and “insulting” to the queen.

Lawyers for the activist said that they were trying to get her bail after she was sentenced by the criminal court for insulting the monarchy and violating the Public Assembly Act two years ago at a protest held in Bangkok’s Silom area.