A court of appeals in Thailand hands an activist a 50-year prison term for insulting the monarchy

BANGKOK (AP) — A court of appeals in Thailand has handed a political activist what is believed to be a record sentence for the criminal offense of insulting the monarchy. A lawyers’ group said Thursday that the court gave 30-year-old Mongkhon Thirakot a 50-year prison term after finding him guilty of 25 violations of the law. Mongkhon had originally been sentenced last year to 28 years in prison by the provincial court in the northern province of Chiang Rai for 14 of 27 posts on Facebook for which he was charged. The court of appeals sentenced him to an additional 22 years in prison to bring his total to 50 years.