A Thai court dismissed a royal defamation case against a former opposition leader over comments he made during the Covid-19 pandemic, in a rare ruling in favour of a prominent government critic.
Thailand’s strict lese majeste law protects the royal family from criticism and carries jail terms of up to 15 years per offence.
Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, former leader of the now-defunct Future Forward Party, was charged over a Facebook live broadcast in 2021 criticising the government’s procurement of Covid-19 vaccines, linked to a company owned by the king.
Bangkok’s Criminal Court ruled the comments were aimed at then-prime minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s vaccine administration and did not amount to royal defamation, according to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights.
“The evidence brought by the plaintiff was not sufficient,” the group wrote on social media.
The verdict is a rare success for a major opposition figure, many of whom rights advocates say have been targeted by judicial processes because they are perceived as challenging to the nation’s conservative establishment.
At least three former MPs from the opposition Move Forward Party, a successor of Future Forward, have previously been sentenced under the lese majeste law over their political activities.
Another 10 MPs, including the current opposition leader, Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut, are under court investigation over their support to reform the strict law.
If found guilty, they could face lifetime bans on holding political office and be stripped of their right to vote for 10 years.
Thanathorn was banned from holding office in a separate case in 2020.
But he remains active in politics and helped campaign for the People’s Party, the latest iteration of Future Forward, in the last election in February. — AFP
