Following a verdict reversed by the Appeal Court, a 34-year-old protester has been sentenced to prison on a royal defamation charge for allegedly attaching a piece of paper with offensive words to a portrait of King Vajiralongkorn in front of the Supreme Court during a protest in 2021.

Chukiat ‘Justin’ Saengwong, a protester well known for wearing crop tops at protests, faced seven criminal charges, including sedition and royal defamation, after he attached a piece of paper with the message ‘For dumping filth and rubbish! to the King’s portrait in front of the Supreme Court during a 20 March 2021 protest, according to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights.

Chukiat was arrested on the night of 22 March 2021, and detained during the investigation stage. He was released on 1 June 2021.

On 15 June 2023, the Court of First Instance dismissed the sedition and royal defamation charges, given that no witness or evidence proved that Chukiat committed the crime as alleged. According to the Court, a photo taken by a police officer only showed an unidentified person reaching towards the portrait, but it did not appear that this person attached the piece of paper. The Court gave him the benefit of the doubt.

Chukiat was instead sentenced to one month and fined 2,000 baht for violating the Emergency Decree since he admitted that he participated in the protest. However, since he had never been imprisoned, he was given a one-year-suspension of sentence.

He was also ordered to report to a probation officer four times within a year and to perform 12 hours of community service. The public prosecutor appealed the verdict.

On 19 January, the Appeal Court reversed the initial verdict, sentencing Chukiat to three years in prison on the royal defamation charge. The Court also revoked the probation imposed by the Court of First Instance, while the other verdicts remained unchanged.

Among those in the pro-democracy protests who have been calling for political and monarchy reform, the crop top has been used to lampoon news about the King and the Queen.

Chukiat became well known for his speeches and public appearances in protests where he wore a crop top. The nickname ‘Justin’ comes from Justin Bieber, a famous singer who wears crop tops.