- Published
Even before they come through the door, you can hear the prisoners walking towards the courtroom, the shackles round their ankles clinking with each step.
asserted
shackles → publish → step
The five who walk into the courtroom are familiar with the routine; they are facing multiple criminal prosecutions and have spent much of the past five years going back and forth to court.
One of them, a small, bespectacled man with greying hair, opens his arms to hold his three-year-old son, who has been brought to court by his partner to see him.
asserted
who → walk → him
His offence was to call for Thailand's powerful monarchy to be scrutinised and held accountable.
asserted
monarchy → call → ?
He did this dressed as the eponymous young wizard at a Harry Potter-themed demonstration in central Bangkok in 2020.
asserted
He → do → 2020
On Friday a court in Bangkok sentenced him to two years and eight months for violating Thailand's lèse majesté law, or article 112, under which more people have been jailed for perceived insults against the royal family than in all the other countries that have such laws combined.
asserted
that → sentence → laws
This is just one out of 14 cases brought against Arnon under the same charge, bringing the cumulative sentence he has received so far to more than 34 years.
asserted
he → bring → years
The verdict in two cases is still pending.
asserted
verdict → pende → cases
"To me, this isn't a surprise," he later told reporters.
asserted
he → tell → reporters
"If the country was more open, we would be able to talk about these issues freely."
asserted
we → talk → issues
The past six years have seen the most extensive use of lèse majesté in Thai history, in response to unprecedented student protests in 2020 which for the first time called for a public discussion of the role of the monarchy.
asserted
which → see → monarchy
Two hundred and ninety-four people, including 20 under the age of 18, have been prosecuted, receiving prison sentences of up to 50 years.
asserted
people → include → years
Most of those charged under this law are denied bail and kept in jail, even though their court cases can last several years.
asserted
cases → charge → jail
The standard defence of the law given by Thai officials is that it "reflects the culture and history of Thailand, where the monarchy is one of the main pillars of the nation, highly revered by the majority of Thai people".
asserted
monarchy → give → people
Article 112 of the Thai criminal code simply reads, "Whoever defames, insults or threatens the King, the Queen, the Heir-apparent or the Regent, shall be punished with imprisonment of three to 15 years."
asserted
Whoever → read → years
In practice, though, the law has been interpreted to cover a much wider range of comment about the monarchy, and a much wider range of figures.
asserted
law → interpret → figures
Saying anything negative about any member of the royal family, about the institution of the monarchy, even about long deceased kings, or in one case, the king's dog, has resulted in prosecutions.
asserted
Saying → say → prosecutions
"If you ask me what the text of the law says, I can tell you," says Akarachai Chaimaneekarakate, assistant director of Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, which helps defend those accused of breaking it.
asserted
which → ask → it
"If you ask me how the courts interpret the words "defame" or "insult", I don't think I can give you a definition, because it's so ambiguous, it's so vague.
asserted
it → ask → definition
Even questioning the law itself, for example, can constitute lèse majesté under Section 112."
asserted
questioning → question → Section
From his cell in the Bangkok Remand Prison, where he has been for the last three years, Arnon has been writing to his young daughter and son.
asserted
Arnon → write → daughter
"Dear Pran and Karl, my beloved children,
The winter wind has not only brought us cool weather, but also brings back stories from the past.
asserted
wind → bring → past
I miss the time we travelled outside Bangkok that first winter after Karl came into this world.
asserted
Karl → miss → world
I shall miss it every winter I spend here until I regain my freedom."
asserted
I → miss → freedom
Hearings like the one Arnon attended weeks before Friday's verdict are the only times he has seen Karl since he was a baby.
asserted
he → attend → Karl
His 10-year-old sister Pran sometimes visits their father in prison, and often draws and paints him.
asserted
sister → visit → him
But Arnon and Lookwa, his partner, think Karl is too young to visit.
asserted
Karl → think → ?
For now, Karl thinks the court is just where his dad works.
asserted
dad → think → ?
A group of supporters has come too, filling the little courtroom.
asserted
group → come → courtroom
They mingle cheerfully with the prisoners, laughing and exchanging gossip before the judges walk in to start the hearing.
asserted
judges → mingle → hearing
It is an improbably informal setting for men facing one of the most feared charges in Thailand.
asserted
It → face → Thailand
The effect of the law has been to smother any public discussion about the monarchy.
asserted
effect → smother → monarchy
Until six years ago, opinions on it were only ever whispered in private.
asserted
opinions → whisper → it
In one notorious case a taxi driver was jailed because a passenger reported what he had said while riding in his cab.
asserted
he → jail → cab
That changed on 3 August 2020.
asserted
That → change → August
That year younger Thais had become increasingly frustrated with the conservative government led by coup-leader Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha.
asserted
Thais → become → ocha
The year before millions had given their votes to a new party, Future Forward, which promised sweeping reforms, but in February 2020, the Constitutional Court dissolved the party on a technicality.
asserted
Court → give → technicality
The arrival of the Covid pandemic prevented any protests for three months, but as infections in Thailand started to fall, students began holding rallies calling for an end to the military's role in politics.
asserted
students → prevent → politics
Arnon Nampa argued this did not go far enough.
asserted
this → argue → ?
In the garb of Harry Potter, he gave a speech saying it was time to talk about the opaque power and wealth of the monarchy.
asserted
it → give → monarchy
He criticised King Vajiralongkorn's decision to take personal control of the vast assets held by the Crown Property Bureau, and over important units of the army.
asserted
He → criticise → army
…and 57 more, not listed.
The Aporia
