The Criminal Court sentenced Anon Nampa and five others to four years each for lèse-majesté, reducing the punishment to two years and eight months each without suspension. Meanwhile, "Penguin" and "Mike" remain fugitives. Their lawyer revealed that Anon has been sentenced to decades in prison, totaling 38 years from multiple cases.
On 30 Oct 2026 at 10:00 a.m. in courtroom 804 of the Criminal Court, the court convened to deliver the verdict in the lèse-majesté case number Black 403/2567, with the Criminal Prosecutor's Office 7 as plaintiff. Mr. Anon Nampa A lawyer and protest leader; along with Parit Chiwarak, known as Penguin (fugitive), Panupong Jadnok, known as Mike (fugitive), Wanwalee Thammasataya (Tee), Pongsathorn Tancharoen (Boy), Promsorn Weerathamjaree (Fah), and Nawarit Liangwatthana (Amp), defendants numbered 1 through 7. Charged with insulting the monarchy under Section 112 of the Criminal Code.
The case concerns the United Thammasat and Demonstration Coalition and Free Youth groups, joining around 2,000 protesters gathering at the SCB headquarters in Chatuchak, Bangkok (#25NovGoToSCB) on 25 November 2020, demanding then-Prime Minister Gen. Prayut Chan-o-cha's resignation, constitutional reform, and monarchy reform. The protest leaders took turns speaking on stage, calling for government removal and insulting the monarchy.
Today, the court summoned Anon and co-defendants who were not granted bail from prison to hear the verdict. Former Move Forward Party leader Chaitawat Tulathon and supporters attended to show support. The defendants denied the charges.
The court considered testimonies and evidence from both sides and found the prosecution's witnesses consistent and credible, with no evidence of fabricating accusations against the defendants. The defendants' claim of exercising constitutional rights to protest exceeded legal limits and constituted insults against the monarchy. The defendants’ evidence was insufficient to outweigh the prosecution's.
The court ruled that defendants 1, 4, 5, 6, and 7 violated Section 112 of the Criminal Code, sentencing each to four years’ imprisonment. Due to some helpful testimony from the defendants, the court reduced the sentence by one-third, resulting in two years and eight months each, with no suspension.
The press reported that during evidence examination, the Criminal Court dismissed other charges eligible for amnesty under the Peace Promotion Act 2026, leaving only the Section 112 charges to be considered.
Later, human rights lawyer Kritsada Nutcharat, representing the defendants, said the prosecution charged Section 112 offenses during Gen. Prayut’s tenure as prime minister. The court sentenced each defendant to two years and eight months. Some defendants, like Penguin and Mike, did not appear as they are fugitives. Anon has previously been sentenced to multiple prison terms totaling 38 years, including this case. He has additional Section 112 cases pending. Other protest-related charges were addressed under the Peace Promotion Act. The court’s sentences relate only to Section 112 offenses. The defense plans to seek bail for those without other detention orders to appeal the case.
The press further reported that after the verdict, defendants Wanwalee (defendant 4) and Pongsathorn (defendant 5) requested bail. The Criminal Court referred this to the Appeals Court, which denied bail. Subsequently, the court issued arrest warrants, sending them to Central Women’s Correctional Institution and Bangkok Remand Prison for custody.