A Thai court on Tuesday sentenced an 87-year-old civil servant, Anchalee Preelert, to 43 years in prison for sharing online clips deemed to have defamed the king.
Thailand’s Criminal Court initially handed the prison term to the former revenue department official, but the sentence was halved because she pleaded guilty, according to court documents seen by dpa.
Thailand’s lese majeste or royal insult laws are the world’s harshest, carrying a penalty of up to 15 years in prison to those found guilty of defaming the country’s royals.
Anchalee was found guilty on multiple counts of violating Thailand’s lese majeste and computer crime laws for sharing clips critical of the royal family online.
Thailand has seen ongoing demonstrations with protesters calling for reform of the country’s monarchy to be more democratic.
Dozens of activists have been charged with lese majeste since November.
Before Tuesday’s verdict, the longest prison sentence for a lese majeste crime was 35 years.
dpa/NAN.