A 15-year-old girl who had spent 50 days in detention on a charge of royal defamation walked free on Thursday afternoon after a court ordered her release, Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (THLR) said.

Police had gone to the Central Juvenile and Family Court on Thursday morning to seek the further detention of Thanalop “Yok” Phalanchai but the court rejected the request.

She was released shortly after 4pm from the Ban Pranee Juvenile Vocational Training Center for Girls in Nakhon Pathom, where she had been held since March 29. She was greeted on the grounds by a small crowd of cheering supporters.

The case of Yok has been the most high-profile one among the 19 that involve suspects under age 18 charged with lese-majeste under Section 112 of the Criminal Code. She is the only one to have been detained for such a long period, though she is not the youngest.

Yok was arrested on March 28.

She was accused of insulting the monarchy during a rally in October 2022 in front of Bangkok City Hall. She was 14 at the time.

The Central Juvenile and Family Court this week said that the girl’s mother had failed to appear for her bail, which led to her extended stay in the juvenile home.

According to data from TLHR to April 30 this year, 1,902 people have been prosecuted for political participation and expression since the beginning of the Free Youth pro-democracy protests in July 2020. At least 242 are facing lese-majeste charges and 130 have been charged with sedition.