Thai Court Convicts Student Activant Tantawan
Tantawan Tuatulanon was sentenced to two years in prison for a Facebook livestream criticizing the monarchy, despite an earlier acquittal in a related
On 31 August 2026, the Bangkok Criminal Court convicted Tantawan Tuatulanon, a student activist linked to pro-democracy groups Draconis Revolution and Thalu Wang, on charges under Article 112 of Thailand’s Criminal Code and Article 14(2) and (3) of the 2007 Computer Crimes Act. She was sentenced to three years in prison, reduced to two years, for a Facebook livestream conducted on 5 March 2022 from a footpath on Ratchadamnoen Nok Road, opposite the UN ESCAP building in Bangkok. The court ruled her remarks were intended to insult the monarchy rather than being protected freedom of expression. She was also fined 600 baht for failing to comply with a police order to stop the livestream. The sentence reduction was based on her useful testimony in the case. Tantawan was granted temporary release on 100,000 baht bail the same day pending appeal. FIDH President Alexis Deswaef attended the hearing in solidarity.
In a separate case on 6 July 2026, the Bangkok South Criminal Court acquitted Tantawan and six co-defendants of Article 112 and Article 116 (sedition) charges related to a public opinion poll on royal motorcades conducted outside a Bangkok shopping mall on 8 February 2022. The court found the sticker-based campaign constituted constitutionally protected freedom of expression and did not directly refer to the King, Queen, heir apparent, or regent. Proceedings against co-defendant Netiporn "Bung" Sanesangkhom had been discontinued following her death in custody on 14 May 2024.
Between November 2020 and August 2026, 293 individuals have been charged under Article 112, including 20 children. Of these, 31 are currently detained-12 pending trial and 19 serving final sentences. The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, in Opinion No. 49/2023 adopted on 30 August 2023, found Tantawan’s deprivation of liberty in the Facebook livestream case to be arbitrary.
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders condemns the conviction as aimed at punishing legitimate human rights activities and calls on Thai authorities to quash the conviction, end judicial harassment, guarantee freedom of expression and peaceful assembly under Articles 19 and 21 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, amend Article 112 to align with international obligations, and ensure defenders can act without fear of reprisal.
