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Thailand’s Criminal Court acquitted on Thursday political figure and founder of the Progressive Movement Party Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit of charges of defaming the monarchy, arising from comments he had made in 2021 criticizing the government’s procurement of the COVID-19 vaccine.
The court ruled that Juangroongruangkit’s criticisms were directed at then-Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s management of vaccine procurement, not at the monarchy, and hence did not constitute lèse-majesté violations under Section 112 of the Criminal Code. Section 112, or the lèse-majesté law, criminalizes insults and threats towards the king, queen, and heirs to the Thai throne with sentences ranging from three to fifteen years in prison.
The case arose from a Facebook live stream conducted by Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit on January 18, 2021, in which he criticized the government’s handling of vaccine procurement during the COVID-19 pandemic. During the broadcast, Juangroongruangkit referred to Siam Bioscience, a pharmaceutical company founded by King Rama IX, which had received the right to produce the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in Thailand. According to local media, Juangroongruangkit called on the company and the government to reveal the vaccine production agreement to prove that the procurement was carried out in a transparent manner.
Following this, prosecutors charged Juangroongruangkit with defaming, insulting, or threatening the king under Section 112 of the Criminal Code, as well as with offences under the Computer Crime Act. The prosecution argued that Juangroongruangkit made misleading remarks during the live broadcast that implicated the monarchy through its association with Siam Bioscience and could foster public misunderstanding.
However, the Criminal Court found that the live stream was not intended to insult or threaten the monarchy as the prosecution alleged, but rather addressed the government’s management of the vaccine rollout during the pandemic. As for the remarks regarding whether Prime Minister Prayut’s government properly handled vaccine management, the court considered that these comments pertained to public administration and the potential impact on citizens, particularly given that there were concerns at the time about Siam Bioscience’s delays in delivering vaccine doses to Thailand and other countries. The court further added that Juangroongruangkit’s references to Siam Bioscience were based on facts and did not amount to defamation, leading to the dismissal of all charges brought against him under both Section 112 and the Computer Crime Act.
This is not the first time that political figures or activists have faced criminal charges under Thailand’s controversial lèse-majesté law. In May 2024, a Thai court sentenced an activist musician to four years of prison for actions deemed insulting to the monarchy under Section 112. During the same month, Thailand’s attorney general indicted former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra for allegedly insulting the monarchy in a media interview. Similarly, a court sentenced an activist and human rights lawyer to prison for defaming the royal family and violating the Computer Crime Act through social media posts. Furthermore, the Constitutional Court has previously ordered the dissolution of the Move Forward Party (MFP) over its proposal to amend the lèse-majesté law. In July 2025, the UN called on Thai authorities to amend lèse-majesté laws, citing concerns about freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.
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The court ruled that Juangroongruangkit’s criticisms were directed at then-Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s management of vaccine procurement, not at the monarchy, and hence did not constitute lèse-majesté violations under Section 112 of the Criminal Code. Section 112, or the lèse-majesté law, criminalizes insults and threats towards the king, queen, and heirs to the Thai throne with sentences ranging from three to fifteen years in prison.
The case arose from a Facebook live stream conducted by Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit on January 18, 2021, in which he criticized the government’s handling of vaccine procurement during the COVID-19 pandemic. During the broadcast, Juangroongruangkit referred to Siam Bioscience, a pharmaceutical company founded by King Rama IX, which had received the right to produce the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in Thailand. According to local media, Juangroongruangkit called on the company and the government to reveal the vaccine production agreement to prove that the procurement was carried out in a transparent manner.
Following this, prosecutors charged Juangroongruangkit with defaming, insulting, or threatening the king under Section 112 of the Criminal Code, as well as with offences under the Computer Crime Act. The prosecution argued that Juangroongruangkit made misleading remarks during the live broadcast that implicated the monarchy through its association with Siam Bioscience and could foster public misunderstanding.
However, the Criminal Court found that the live stream was not intended to insult or threaten the monarchy as the prosecution alleged, but rather addressed the government’s management of the vaccine rollout during the pandemic. As for the remarks regarding whether Prime Minister Prayut’s government properly handled vaccine management, the court considered that these comments pertained to public administration and the potential impact on citizens, particularly given that there were concerns at the time about Siam Bioscience’s delays in delivering vaccine doses to Thailand and other countries. The court further added that Juangroongruangkit’s references to Siam Bioscience were based on facts and did not amount to defamation, leading to the dismissal of all charges brought against him under both Section 112 and the Computer Crime Act.
This is not the first time that political figures or activists have faced criminal charges under Thailand’s controversial lèse-majesté law. In May 2024, a Thai court sentenced an activist musician to four years of prison for actions deemed insulting to the monarchy under Section 112. During the same month, Thailand’s attorney general indicted former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra for allegedly insulting the monarchy in a media interview. Similarly, a court sentenced an activist and human rights lawyer to prison for defaming the royal family and violating the Computer Crime Act through social media posts. Furthermore, the Constitutional Court has previously ordered the dissolution of the Move Forward Party (MFP) over its proposal to amend the lèse-majesté law. In July 2025, the UN called on Thai authorities to amend lèse-majesté laws, citing concerns about freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.
The post Thailand criminal court acquits political leader of lèse majesté charges appeared first on JURIST - News.
Continue reading...
Note: We don't have any responsibilities about this news. Its been posted here by Feed Reader and we had no controls and checking on it. And because News posted here will be deleted automatically after 21 days, threads are closed so that no one spend time to post and discuss here. You can always check the source and discuss in their site.