A Thai ex-civil servant has been jailed for a "record-breaking" 43 years and 6 months for sharing audio clips on social media said to defame the country's monarchy.
The 65-year-old woman - identified as Anchan - pleaded guilty at Bangkok Criminal Court to 29 counts of posting audio clips to Facebook and YouTube under different usernames with comments deemed critical of the monarchy.
The court initially announced a sentence of 87 years but reduced it by half because of her guilty plea.
It is said thought be the longest ever sentence for such crimes.
Sunai Phasuk, senior researcher for the group Human Rights Watch, said: "Today's court verdict is shocking and sends a spine-chilling signal that not only criticisms of the monarchy won't be tolerated, but they will also be severely punished."
Violating Thailand's lèse-majesté law, known widely as Article 112, is punishable by three to 15 years' imprisonment per count.
The law is controversial not only because simple things such as liking a post on Facebook can be punishable, but also because anyone, not just royals or authorities, can lodge a complaint that can lead to legal proceedings lasting years.
Ms Anchan's case dates back six years when Thailand's anti-establishment sentiment was growing after a 2014 military coup led by Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha.
She denied the charges when her case was first heard in military court, where lèse-majesté law offences were prosecuted for a period after the coup.
When her case was transferred to a criminal court, she pleaded guilty in the hope the court would have sympathy for her actions, because she had only shared the audio not posted or commented on it, she told local media.
She said: "I thought it was nothing. There were so many people who shared this content and listened to it.
"The guy (who made the content) had done it for so many years, so I didn't really think this through and was too confident and not being careful enough to realise at the time that it wasn't appropriate."
She added she had worked as a civil servant for 40 years and was arrested one year before retirement, and a conviction meant she would lose her pension.
Ms Anchan is now seeking bail and will decide whether to appeal. If she does not appeal or her appeal fails then she may try to seek a royal pardon from the king.
Thailand has seen 15 years of political unrest but recently young protesters have started issuing calls for the reform of the monarchy, which has long been regarded as an almost sacred institution by many Thais.
