Detained human rights lawyer Anon Nampa has been charged with contempt of court over an incident on 27 November 2024, when he took off his shirt to protest the Court’s refusal to summon evidence and subsequent decision to try him in secret.

Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR) reported that Anon was brought to court last Thursday (23 January) for a hearing. Neither him nor his lawyers were notified ahead of time. Once lawyers arrived at the Criminal Court, they were told by a court marshal that they also only found out about the hearing the day before. Meanwhile, court officials have not seen the complaint against Anon and were unable to provide him with details. 

Anon was held in the courtroom for around 2 hours before two judges came in and announced to the room that observers are allowed but may not ask questions without permission. Anon then asked the court to postpone the hearing because his lawyers were not present, and he was not told what he was being put on trial for. He noted that he was only informed that morning that he was being brought to court and that prison officials were in such a hurry that he was not allowed to take a shower.

The judge said that, because it was a flagrant offence, the court has the power to hold a hearing, but Anon insisted on appointing a lawyer of his choosing and to summon defense witnesses on the grounds that he has a right to defend himself. The judge then asked Anon to name the lawyer he wanted to appoint and asked a TLHR employee in the courtroom to call the lawyer, who initially did not answer the phone.

While waiting for the lawyer to answer the call, Anon asked the judge why the trial is being conducted in such a hurry and without his lawyer, the judge claimed they had a lot of work and wanted to get it done. The judge also said that the only point of discussion was whether Anon took off his shirt in the courtroom, which Anon replied that he will not be answering questions until he has a lawyer.

Once the lawyer has been reached, they told the judge that they are unable to come to the hearing because they are attending a hearing elsewhere and that they would need time to prepare a defence. The judge tried to ask Anon and the lawyer who they intend to summon as witnesses, but the lawyer said that they are unable to provide any information since they were just informed of the hearing and insisted that the hearing be postponed.

After consulting with another judge, the hearing was postponed to 5 March.

Anon was charged with contempt of court over an incident during a witness examination hearing in a royal defamation trial on 27 November 2024. The charge in this case stemmed from a speech he gave at the 3 August 2020 “Harry Potter” protest about the role of the monarchy and monarchy reform, a part of which mentioned the King’s alleged trips to Germany and budget allocated to the royal family.

During the hearing, the Court refused to summon the King’s travel document, although it was requested by Anon’s legal team because they are important evidence to verify Anon’s speech. The Court said that the document relates to the King who, according to the Constitution, is revered and cannot be violated by anyone.

In protest, Anon took off his shirt. He also requested that another judge presided over the case, but his request was later denied. The judge, meanwhile, ordered him tried in secret and said that he would be charged with contempt of court.

On 19 December 2024, Anon was found guilty of royal defamation and sedition and sentenced to 4 years in prison, later reduced to 2 years and 8 months. The sentence brought his total prison sentence to 18 years, 10 months, and 20 days.