Thai activist who called for monarchy reform gets 4 more years in jail

BANGKOK (Reuters) - A prominent activist jailed and made famous over his public call for reforms to Thailand's powerful monarchy was given four more years in prison for another violation of the country's royal insults law, a legal aid group said on Thursday.

Arnon Nampa, 39, a lawyer, was found guilty of lese majeste over two social media posts made in 2021 and of violating the country's computer crimes act, said the Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, which represents Arnon and dozens of others charged with royal insults.

The court could not immediately be reached for confirmation of the decision.

Arnon was already serving a 10-year sentence for three other royal insult convictions and for violating a decree that banned public gatherings during the pandemic. He has been charged with 10 other counts of insulting the monarchy. 

Thailand's lese majeste law is among the strictest of its kind in the world and is designed to shield the monarchy from criticism, with prison term of up to 15 years for each perceive insult of the crown. 

Hundreds of people have been charged under the law, some given jail terms of several decades. 

Arnon, who denies wrongdoing, was one of the leaders of the youth-led demonstrations in 2020 that made taboo-breaking calls for reform of the monarchy, an institution considered sacrosanct by many Thai conservatives. 

Arrest warrants have been issued for two protest leaders charged with lese majeste, who have not shown up at court for their verdicts, according to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights.

(Reporting by Panarat Thepgumpanat; Writing by Chayut Setboonsarng; Editing by Martin Petty)