Pro-democracy movements in Thailand have demanded the removal of a section of the country’s law which allows the authorities to book dissidents for years in jail for “royal defamation.”

The largest party in the country’s parliament, the Move Forward Party, was forced to disband and its leaders were banned from politics for 10 years for demanding reforms in a law which makes criticism of the monarchy in any form punishable offense

The charges leveled against opposition leader Thanathorn were based on statements he made in January 2021 in a livestream that questioned the vaccine procurement contract and subsidies granted to a pharmaceutical company owned privately by the monarch

Today we look at the latest on the talks amid the war in Ukraine, the indictment of a dissident in Thailand, and more

In a ruling during a treason trial of three activists, the Constitutional Court found that demands for monarchy reforms are akin to overthrowing the monarchy. Activists fear the Chan-o-cha government will use the ruling to crackdown on opposition and the ongoing protests

As authorities in Thailand have escalated the political crackdown on activists through prosecutions and lawsuits, civil society groups and progressive movements continue demanding legal changes, accountability, and the release of political detainees

Different groups are trying to mobilize for repealing Section 112 of the Thai Criminal Code, which they argue has been weaponized as a tool for political repression by the pro-military government