A Thai woman, who received one of the longest royal insult sentences in the country’s history, was released from prison on Wednesday as part of a mass pardon for the king’s birthday.
Anchan Preelert, 69, was sentenced to 43 years in 2021 for sharing online audio clips on YouTube from an underground podcast host known as “DJ Banpodj,” a harsh monarchy critic.
Originally sentenced to 87 years, three for each of the 29 lese-majeste charges, her sentence was halved due to her confession.
Anchan, a former civil servant, was first arrested in 2015 under Thailand’s then military-led government.
After nearly eight years in prison, Anchan was freed on Wednesday morning along with 84 other inmates given clemency from Bangkok’s Central Women’s Correctional Institution.
Wearing a white T-shirt and a purple scarf, she bowed to supporters who greeted her with flowers and “Welcome Home” signs.
“Eight years I was in there… it’s a bitter feeling for me,” she told reporters.
Thailand’s lese-majeste law, Article 112, protects the king and his family from criticism, with each offence carrying up to 15 years in prison.
Rights groups argue the law is overused, stifling legitimate debate.
Anchan posted the clips 29 times, with each treated as a separate offence, resulting in 29 charges.
Her sentence was the longest for lese-majeste until 2024 when Mongkol Thirakot, a 32-year-old online seller, received at least 50 years for Facebook posts against the monarchy.
Several rights groups, including Amnesty International, praised Anchan’s release as a rare political prisoner reprieve in Thailand.
Last month, Thai lawmakers rejected an amnesty bill for royal insult convicts, a move criticized by rights groups as regressive.
Over 280 people have faced charges under section 112 in the past five years, according to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, which supports many lese-majeste cases.
Prosecutions surged following mass student-led protests in 2020, where unprecedented public criticism of the king occurred.
