Man jailed for record 50 years for criticising Thai monarchy

Mongkol Thirakot receives record sentence under kingdom's strict lese-majesty laws for posts on personal Facebook account

A Thai man has been given a 50-year prison sentence for criticising the monarchy - the longest jail term handed down under the kingdom's strict lese-majesty laws - a legal rights group said.

The record-breaking sentence comes after several years in which Thailand has ramped up use of the legislation against pro-democracy protesters in what critics say is a tactic to silence dissent.