After a court determined that an activist in Thailand insulted the monarchy by dressed like the Thai queen, she was sentenced to two years in prison.
In 2020, Jatuporn “New” Saeoueng, 25, appeared at a political rally in Bangkok dressed in a pink dress.
She disputed the claim that she had insulted the king, claiming that she had only worn a customary outfit.
However, Thailand’s rules are infamously harsh and practically forbid criticizing the king and other royals.
Rights organizations claim that since King Maha Vajiralongkorn took the throne in 2019, authorities have used lèse-majesté laws more frequently to crush a protest movement that called for reform of the veto-wielding monarchy.
After a three-year period in which the law was not at all implemented, at least 210 demonstrators have been prosecuted with lèse-majesté offenses since November 2020, according to Thai legal organisations.
The court’s decision on Monday was sharply criticized by human rights organizations. Jaturpon was given a three-year sentence, however her sentence was promptly cut in half to two years.
She had participated in the 2020 protest as a performer wearing a sophisticated pink silk outfit, walking the red carpet with a companion who carried an umbrella over her head.
