A Thai court has sentenced Arnon Nampa, a prominent activist and former human rights lawyer, to an additional two years and eight months in prison for insulting the monarchy. The ruling brings his total sentence to more than 30 years, marking another escalation in Thailand's crackdown on dissent. Nampa was a leading figure during the 2020 youth-led democracy protests in Bangkok that openly called for monarchy reform.

Thailand's lese-majeste law carries a maximum 15-year sentence for each perceived royal insult, a punishment widely condemned by international human rights groups as extreme. Nampa has been imprisoned since September 2023 for violating the royal insult law stemming from speeches at political rallies and social media posts between 2020 and 2021. Friday's verdict represents the 11th of 14 royal insult cases he faces.

According to legal aid group Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, at least 291 people have been charged with lese majeste offenses since 2020. The harsh sentences against Nampa and others signal Thailand's determination to suppress criticism of the monarchy, even as international pressure mounts over the country's human rights record.