Anchan was arrested in 2015 during the rule of the military government and later convicted in 2021 for sharing recordings of an underground political commentator known as “DJ Banpodj.” She was originally handed an 87-year sentence, with three years for each of the 29 counts of lese majeste she faced. Her term was reduced by half after she admitted guilt, leaving her with 43 years to serve.

On Wednesday morning, Anchan was released from the Central Women’s Correctional Institution in Bangkok alongside 84 other inmates granted royal clemency.

Clad in a white T-shirt and a purple scarf, she bowed as supporters greeted her with flowers and signs that read “Welcome Home.”

“Eight years I was in there… it’s a bitter feeling for me,” she told reporters.

Thailand’s lese majestic law, known as Article 112, criminalizes criticism of the king and members of the royal family, and is regarded as one of the strictest defamation laws in the world.