A 43-year-old has been sentenced to 30 years in prison over 10 social media posts. He already faced another royal defamation charge. When combined, his sentence is now 50 years in prison, making it one of the longest royal defamation sentences.
Pruetthigon Saragul, a former member of the Progressive Movement, a group formed by former members of the dissolved Future Forward Party, was charged with royal defamation and violation of the Computer Crimes Act for 10 social media posts on X (formerly Twitter) during 2021-2022. He was accused of posting misleading messages and pictures deemed defamatory toward King Vajiralongkorn, according to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights.
According to the indictment, the public prosecutor cited provisions in the Constitution that the King is in a position of revered worship and shall not be violated. Pruetthigon was found using his account “Guillotine2475” to criticise the King and other members of the royal family.
The public prosecutor concluded that the 10 posts were intended to insult and defame the King and were also seen as inciting the public and encouraging opposition to the monarchy.
On 10 February, Pruetthigon was found guilty as charged. The Criminal Court stated that the defendant failed to present credible evidence. He was sentenced to three years in prison for each post, resulting in a total of 30 years.
Anon Nampa, a human rights lawyer who has been detained for royal defamation charges, served as a legal representative in this case. Earlier in the case, the Court ordered that the defence lawyer be barred from performing his duties, citing that he was in custody and not properly dressed. In addition, Pruetthigon and Anon were not able to consult to prepare for the defence.
Pruetthigon earlier faced two royal defamation charges for a total of 20 social media posts. In the first case, the Court delivered the verdict on 18 December 2025, sentencing him to 30 years in prison. The term was later reduced to 20 years in prison.
He is now facing a total of 50 years in prison for royal defamation, one of the longest sentences for royal defamation.
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