A Thai criminal court has acquitted a prominent opposition political figure charged with cybercrimes and insulting the royal family during a 2021 Facebook livestream, his lawyer said on Thursday.
Acquittal of Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit
Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, the 47-year-old founder of a progressive political movement aligned with the opposition People's Party, had been accused of lese majeste and violating the country's cyber laws. The charges stemmed from a January 2021 livestream in which he criticized the government's handling of its COVID-19 vaccine campaign, alleging unfair favoritism toward Siam Bioscience, a company owned by King Maha Vajiralongkorn.
Legal Background and Penalties
Thailand enforces some of the world's strictest lese majeste laws, with a maximum prison sentence of 15 years for those convicted. Additionally, breaches of the Computer Crimes Act can result in up to five years of imprisonment. Thanathorn was formally indicted in 2022.
Reactions and Next Steps
Thanathorn's lawyer, Krisadang Nutcharat, confirmed that the prosecutor has 30 days to appeal the court's decision. The office of the attorney general has not yet responded to requests for comment. Thanathorn was previously banned from politics for 10 years by the Constitutional Court in 2020 over a loan he extended to the now-dissolved Future Forward Party, the predecessor of the People's Party.
