Arnon Nampa (อานนท์ นำภา), a Thai lawyer, poet, father and human rights defender, was recently imprisoned following conviction of violation of Article 112 in Thailand. At a protest on 3 August 2020, he made a call for frank, public discussion of the monarchy that transformed the struggle for democracy in Thailand. Those in power were fundamentally unnerved by his and others’ calls for democracy and so began to charge them with violation of Article 112, the measure of the Criminal Code that defines the crime and prescribes punishment for alleged lèse majesté.
Arnon is facing a total of fourteen Article 112 charges for speeches and peaceful expression of opinion in 2020-2022. On 26 September 2023, the first of his cases was decided and he was sentenced to four years in prison. He requested bail while he appealed, but this has been denied by the court thus far.
Supporters of Arnon Nampha post regular updates on his case and his letters from prison in Thai to his public Facebook page. The Article 112 Project is translating these letters as soon as possible after being released and publishing them here as well as on the JSEALab Facebook page. Click below on each letter to see the original in Thai and the English translation, with the most recent at the top. Check back in the coming weeks and months for additional translations!