Activist Sopon Surariddhidhamrong has been sentenced to 2 years in prison on a royal defamation charge for a protest speech criticizing the government’s Covid-19 vaccine programme and the royal family’s use of taxpayer’s money, bringing his total prison sentence to 8 years and 6 months.

Sopon was charged with royal defamation and using a sound amplifier without permission after he gave a speech during the 1 May 2022 Labour Day protest at Government House, during which he spoke about the lack of access to Covid-19 vaccines and how certain privileged groups are getting access to vaccines ahead of everyone else.

The public prosecutor indicted Sopon because he said that Princess Sirivannavari, King Vajiralongkorn’s youngest daughter, and her friends were getting the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine before everyone else, and that members of the royal family are getting the AstraZeneca vaccine while the people are denied access to it because the King is a shareholder in Siam Bioscience, the only company licensed to produce the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine in Thailand.

The public prosecutor said that Sopon’s speech violated the royal defamation law because he insulted Princess Sirivannavari, who the prosecutor sees as the heir to the throne, caused a misunderstanding about members of the royal family’s access to Covid-19 vaccine, and defamed the monarchy by claiming that donations to hospitals were from taxpayers’ money.

Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR) reported that the Criminal Court yesterday (29 October) found Sopon guilty of royal defamation and sentenced him to 3 years in prison, later reduced to 2 years because he gave useful testimony. The charge under the Sound Amplifier Act was dismissed.

Sopon is currently facing a total prison sentence of 8 years and 6 months for three counts of royal defamation. He has been detained pending appeal since 24 August 2023.

TLHR reported that, before the judge read out the verdict, Sopon asked to make a declaration to the court. He took off his shirt, showing cuts in his chest in the shape of the number 112. He told the Court that it might seem unusual for him to cut himself or take his shirt off, but what is more abnormal is that people are being prosecuted for royal defamation and denied bail when neither the Bureau of the Royal Household nor the King is involved in filing charges. He hopes that the court’s ruling would be a lesson for himself and other observers in the courtroom.

A note from Sopon was later published on his Facebook page, stating that, although he hurt himself cutting the numbers into his chest, he wanted to do something to show those in power that something is wrong with the justice system when it comes to the royal defamation law.