Thai Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for Insulting Monarchy

A Thai man was sentenced to 25 years in prison this week for allegedly posting photos on Facebook that insulted the country's monarchy.

A military court sentenced 58-year-old Tiensutham Suttijitseranee to 25 years in prison on Tuesday for five photos he posted on Facebook that reportedly contained captions considered "defamatory" to the country's monarchy, including Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha.

"The court decided that because he posted five pictures with captions last year that the court deemed defamatory, he would be sentenced to a total of 50 years; ten years for each picture posted, reduced by half to 25 years," the man's lawyer, Sasinan Thamnithinan told Reuters following the verdict, which was read in private on Tuesday.

The Southeast Asian country has previously received criticism from its inhabitants for invoking the strict lese majeste law that gives harsh prison sentences to those who insult the monarchy. The country's new Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, who took the throne last May, has vowed to pursue strong charges against those who break the les majeste law.

According to the Associated Press, the Thai website Prachatai reported that Suttijitseranee's Facebook messages insulted the new military regime that was put in place following the May 2014 coup.

"The defendant insulted the beloved and revered Thai monarchy," the judge reportedly said during the closed-court session, according to the Thai website. "The sentence handed down by the court is already light."