Human rights lawyer Prawet Prapanukul, who has been charged with lese majeste, sedition, and computer crimes arrives for his appearance in a criminal court in Bangkok, Thailand on June 27, 2018. AP
BANGKOK — A Thai court has sentenced a human rights lawyer to 16 months in prison, finding him guilty of sedition for material he posted online but dropping charges of royal defamation.
Prawet Prapanukul had been indicted on 10 royal defamation and three sedition charges and technically could have been sentenced to more than 150 years, though Thai prison terms are capped at 50 years in total.
Prawet had been a lawyer for supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted by a military coup in 2006. He was arrested in April 2017 in connection with material he had posted on Facebook about Thailand’s 1932 revolution, which turned the country from an absolute monarchy into a constitutional one.
Thailand’s current military junta has aggressively prosecuted such cases.