Pro-democracy activists have been sentenced to prison for sedition charges over speeches they delivered during a 10 August 2020 protest at Thammasat University.

The case stemmed from a protest at Thammasat University’s Rangsit campus, where several groups of demonstrators called for reform of the monarchy. It was also the first time the 10 proposals for monarchy reform of the United Front of Thammasat and Demonstration were read publicly.

9 activists, including Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul, Panupong Jadnok, Anon Nampa, Nutchanon Pairoj, Parit Chiwarak, Chanin Wongsri, Sitinon Songsiri, Luk Mark, and Sathon (pseudonyms), were charged with sedition. Some were also charged with violating the Computer Crimes Act and the Emergency Decree.

According to the witnesses, Panusaya was the one who read the 10 proposals, while Anon and Nutchanon gave speeches targeting the King and calling for the monarchy reform. They allegedly spread unverified information to incite unrest among the protesters.

Sitinon and Luk Mark did not give any speeches, but they used phrases such as “Long Live the King,” which the court viewed as mockery toward the King. Meanwhile, Chanin and Sathon were not found to be involved in the speeches.

The court on Friday (7 March) sentenced Anon, Nutchanon, Sitinon, and Luk Mark to 1 year in prison. Due to their helpful testimony, the term was reduced to 9 months without suspension.

However, Panupong and Parit could not be reached during the witness testimony stages. The court decided to issue arrest warrants and struck out their cases.

Nutchanon, Sitinon, and Luk Mark were granted provisional bail pending appeal with 100,000 baht as security. Meanwhile, Anon will face a total of 18 years, 19 months, and 20 days in prison.

All defendants in this case were arrested at different times. The first five activists were indicted for sedition, violation of the Computer Crime Act, and violation of the Emergency Decree on 30 August 2022. Sitinon was indicted for the same offences on 6 October 2022, while Sathon and Luk Mark were indicted on 25 April 2023.

The court later combined all three cases, as they were based on the same evidence and facts.