<p>On 11 November, 4 people were arrested for attaching a &ldquo;Reform does not equal overthrow&rdquo; sign and a &ldquo;Repeal 112&rdquo; sign to the shop door of Sirivannavari Siam Paragon.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The royal defamation law reflects Thai society and is needed to protect the monarchy and national security, said Minister of Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary Thani Thongphakdi at the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) session on Wednesday (10 November).</p>

<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="color:black">The online petition to repeal the royal defamation law, or Section 112 of the Thai Criminal Code, has received over 100,000 signatures within 24 hours of its launch.</span></span></span></p>

<p>Sirapat Deesawat, a Nonthaburi man charged with royal defamation for removing a gold-framed King Vajiralongkorn portrait from a housing estate entrance last August, may be tried in a closed-door session.</p>

<p>On 31 October, a protest was held by the Ratsadon group at Bangkok&rsquo;s Ratchaprasong Intersection to demand that the royal defamation law be abolished and those held for violating it be freed.</p>

<p>The public prosecutor has decided to indict Noppasin Treelayapewat, 16, who was charged with royal defamation for participating in a &ldquo;fashion show&rdquo; during a pro-democracy protest on Silom Road on 29 October 2020.</p>

<p>Activists and people affected by the royal defamation law, or Section 112 of the Thai Criminal Code, went to parliament yesterday (27 October) to submit a petition to the House Committee on Legal Affairs, Justice, and Human Rights for the repeal of Section 112.</p>

<p>Two Burapha University students have been charged with royal defamation for hanging a banner containing a message about the monarchy from their dorm room balcony.</p>

<p>Student activist Benja Apan has been denied bail for a third time yesterday (21 October), after she was arrested on 7 October 2021 on a lèse majesté charge in connection with&nbsp;<a href="https://prachatai.com/english/node/9393">the 10 August 2021 protest</a>.</p>

<p>An escalation of symbolic actions by pro-democracy protesters took place after the repeated use of force against protesters by the police and legal charges against its leading figures. But when it comes to burning portraits of the King, the state uses the royal defamation law to handle the problem.</p>

<p>Chiang Mai University student and performance artist Withaya Khlangnin is facing another royal defamation charge for staging a performance in front of the university on 1 May 2021 to demand the release of detained activists.</p>