A Thai man has been jailed for two years for selling calendars which featured satirical comments and rubber ducks in royal regalia.
Prosecutors said the calendars, being sold by Narathorn Chotmankongsin, defamed the monarchy.
The 26-year-old was convicted of insulting the Thai king.
He is among roughly 200 people arrested since 2020 in what critics say has been a crackdown on free speech.
The rubber duck has been a symbol of pro-democracy protesters in Thailand and activists widely used it in demonstrations calling for a democratic transition.
Narathorn was arrested in December 2020 for selling the calendars on the pro-democracy Facebook page Ratasadon.
Prosecutors argued the images and descriptions ridiculed and defamed King Maha Vajiralongkorn.
A court on Tuesday sentenced Narathorn to three years, before commuting the sentence to two years.
“The prosecution and three-year sentence of a man for selling satirical calendars shows that Thai authorities are now trying to punish any activity they deem to be insulting the monarchy,” said Elaine Pearson, Asia director at Human Rights Watch.
“This case sends a message to all Thais, and to the rest of the world, that Thailand is moving further away from – not closer to – becoming a rights-respecting democracy.”
Narathorn was convicted under article 112 of the Thai criminal code, which states that “whoever defames, insults or threatens the King, the Queen, the Heir-apparent or the Regent, shall be punished with imprisonment of three to fifteen years.”
The number of lese majeste cases in Thailand has significantly increased in the past years.
In November 2020, Prime Minister Gen. Prayut Chan-ocha ordered officials to use the draconian law to suppress criticism of the monarchy, ostensibly in response to the rise of public anti-monarchy sentiments.
