AdvertisementAdvertisementThailand's Anchan Preelert looks on after her release from the Central Women's Correctional Institution in Bangkok on Aug 27, 2025. (Photo: AFP/Chanakarn Laosarakham)27 Aug 2025 03:23PM (Updated: 27 Aug 2025 03:27PM) Bookmark Bookmark WhatsApp Telegram Facebook Twitter Email LinkedInRead a summary of this article on FAST.Get bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try.Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FASTFAST BANGKOK: A Thai woman who received one of the kingdom's longest ever royal insult sentences was freed from prison on Wednesday (Aug 27) under a mass pardon marking the king's birthday.Anchan Preelert, 69, was jailed for 43 years in 2021 after sharing online audio clips on YouTube of an underground podcast host known as DJ Banpodj, a fierce critic of the monarchy.She was initially sentenced to 87 years - three for each of the 29 counts of lese-majeste she faced - but the court halved it because she confessed.Anchan, a former civil servant, was first arrested in 2015 under the military government ruling Thailand at the time.After around eight years behind bars, Anchan walked free on Wednesday morning along with 84 other inmates granted clemency from the Central Women's Correctional Institution in Bangkok.Wearing a white T-shirt and a purple scarf, she bowed to supporters who gave her flowers and held signs reading "Welcome Home"."Eight years I was in there ... it's a bitter feeling for me," she told reporters.Thai court dismisses royal insult case against ex-PM ThaksinThailand drops royal insult prosecution against American academicThailand's lese majeste law, known as Article 112, shields the king and his family from any criticism, with each offence punishable by up to 15 years in jail.Rights groups and critics say the law is overused, and interpreted so broadly that legitimate debate is stifled.Anchan posted the offending clips 29 times, and under the law each one was treated as a separate offence, so she was hit with 29 counts.When it was passed, Anchan's sentence was the longest ever imposed for lese-majeste.It was overtaken in 2024 when Mongkol Thirakot, a 32-year-old online seller, was sentenced to at least 50 years over Facebook posts deemed insulting the monarchy.Several rights groups including Amnesty International welcomed Anchan's release as a rare reprieve for political prisoners in Thailand.Last month, Thai lawmakers rejected an amnesty bill for royal insult convicts, a move condemned by rights groups as a setback.More than 280 people have been prosecuted under section 112 in the last five years, according to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, a group that provides legal services in many lese-majeste cases.Prosecutions soared in the wake of mass street protests led by students in 2020, some of which made unprecedented public criticism of the king.Source: AFP/ecNewsletterMorning BriefSubscribe to CNA’s Morning BriefAn automated curation of our top stories to start your day.Sign up for our newslettersGet our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inboxSubscribe hereGet the CNA appStay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best storiesDownload hereGet WhatsApp alertsJoin our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat appJoin hereAlso worth readingContent is loading...Expand to read the full storyGet bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try.Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FASTFAST