The Appeal Court has overturned the dismissal of a royal defamation charge against Tiwagorn Withiton, whose picture wearing a shirt printed with “I have lost faith in the monarchy” went viral in 2020, and sentenced him to 6 years in prison.

UN independent experts said that they are "dismayed" at the use of the royal defamation law to dissolve the Move Forward Party (MFP), which won the largest number of seats in the 2023 general election, and ban its leaders from politics. They noted that the royal defamation law is outdated and inconsistent with international law, and efforts to "peacefully reform" it should be supported, not thwarted.

In the Constitutional Court verdict to dissolve the Move Forward Party (MFP), the Court has claimed that ‘the MFP’s campaign sought to take advantage of the monarchy to win the election,’ while it also warned representatives of foreign governments to follow diplomatic etiquette when expressing their opinions on this matter.

Amnesty International, in response to the Constitutional Court ruling to dissolve the Move Forward Party, has asserted that the Court's ruling is deemed an untenable decision that reveals the authorities’ complete disregard for Thailand’s international human rights obligations.

The Constitutional Court ruled today (7 August) to dissolve the Move Forward Party, the largest opposition party and the party with the highest number of seats in the House of Representatives, on the grounds that the party had committed treason by campaigning to amend the royal defamation law.

In a reply to a communication from UN Special Rapporteurs, the Thai government said that the royal defamation law warrants severe penalties as it protects the monarchy and national security.  It also stated that the Constitutional Court is independent and will make its decision in accordance with established law and the Constitution.

Ahead of the 7 August Constitutional Court ruling on the dissolution of the Move Forward Party (MFP), Somchai Preechasilpakul from Chiang Mai University discussed the Court’s role in political party dissolution and expressed hope that its ruling will not inflict more wounds on Thai society.

Ahead of the Constitutional Court’s verdict on a petition seeking to dissolve the Move Forward Party (MFP), the Party has defended itself, asserting that the Court does not have the authority to order dissolution, and that the Election Commission (EC)’s petition is unlawful.

Ahead of the Constitutional Court's ruling this Wednesday (7 August) on the dissolution of the Move Forward Party over their proposal to amend the royal defamation, or lèse-majesté, law, ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) calls upon those exercising de facto power in Thailand to refrain from politicising the courts as an instrument to silence parliamentarians on charges that contravene universal democratic principles, for their political longevity and motivation. APHR encourages the Constitutional Court to consult the Venice Commission's guidelines on the prohibition and dissolution of political parties, which states that dissolution of a political party should only be used as a last resort in extreme cases.

Student activist Parit Chiwarak has been sentenced to 2 years in prison on a royal defamation charge for a Facebook post made on 28 July 2021.

A 53-year-old man has been sentenced to 2 years and 8 months in prison for royal defamation over his Facebook posts questioning the monarchy’s tax spending.

The Court of Appeal for Specialized Cases on Wednesday (24 July) found Bell (pseudonym), a 20-year-old student activist, guilty of royal defamation for posts made on the Facebook group of local activist groups in November 2020 and gave him a 1 year and 6 month suspended prison sentence.