After 8 years in prison, 69-year old Thai woman gets royal pardon

A 69-year old woman convicted of insulting the King of Thailand was freed after being granted royal pardon after serving only eight years of her 43-year prison sentence.y

Originally sentenced to 87 years in prison, reportedly the longest prison term handed down for a similar lese majeste committed against the King, political activist Anchan Preelert won a reduction of sentence after pleading guilty to the charges filed against her.

The Thai Lawyers for Human Rights said Preelert was among the six political prisoners released from prison on the occasion of the birthday of King Maha Vajiralongkorn on July 29.

A former government employee, Anchan was found guilty of 29 counts of violating Thailand’s lese majeste law in 2021. She was charged with uploading on Facebook and Youtube audio clips considered critical of the monarchy.

Under Thailand’s laws, royal defamation is punishable by three to 15 years imprisonment on each count committed by an offender.

The law also punishes even posting likes on Facebook that contain insults against the royalty in the country.

Anchan was arrested in 2015 and had served a total eight years and four months in prison.

“I feel immensely happy. I want to be free for a long time because I’m getting old and my time is running short,” the senior citizen told the new media following her release.

“For over eight years, itfelt like it was all my life, it was bitter because it was not my place to be. It was torturous, iit doesn’t matter whether its comfortable or not, but it isn’t my home,” she said with deep regret