<p>The US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan has expressed concerns about the recent arrests of Thai protesters and several lengthy&nbsp;lese-majeste&nbsp;sentences in recent weeks.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The public prosecutor has yet to rule on whether to file a case against 18 people involved in the 19 &ndash; 20 September 2020 protests and has postponed the hearing to 8 March 2021; meanwhile four activists detained last week pending trial were once again denied bail.</p>

<p>Secretary-General of the Move Forward Party proposes Section 112 amendment to open up discussion, though the draft amendment does not satisfy everyone.</p>

<p>Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch concern over the bail denial of the 4 prominent activists as&nbsp;an abuse of the judicial process to silence peaceful critics.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The May 18 Memorial Foundation denounces the Thai government that has consistently oppressed the pro-democracy movement of its people.</p>

<p>A crowd of around 500 gathered at the Pathumwan Skywalk yesterday evening (9 February), after the Criminal Court <a href="https://prachatai.com/english/node/9059">denied bail</a> for activists Parit Chiwarak, Anon Nampa, Somyot Pruksakasemsuk, and Patipan Luecha, who are being detained in prison pending trial and have been taken to the Bangkok Remand Prison.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>A spokesperson for the state prosecutor has announced that cases has been filed against Anon Nampa, Somyot Pruksakasemsuk, Patipan Luecha and Parit Chiwarak under Section 112 of the Criminal Code for giving speeches about the monarchy in protests during 2020, according to <a href="https://twitter.com/TLHR2014/status/1359038920021872645">Thai Lawyers for Human Rights</a>.</p>

<p>A 58th person has been charged under Section 112 of the Criminal Code for paying respect to protesters wearing crop tops in an activity mocking King Rama X in January 2021.</p>

<p>UN human rights experts today expressed grave concerns over Thailand&rsquo;s increasingly severe use of lèse-majesté laws to curtail criticism of the monarchy, and said they were alarmed that a woman had been sentenced to over 43 years in prison for insulting the royal family.</p>

<p>An interview with Senior Researcher at Human Rights Watch. What has Thailand lost in the suppression of the pro-democracy protests&nbsp;at a time when superpowers like the USA and EU have started to pose more questions about Thai politics?</p>

<p>A court has found not guilty Bundit Aneeya, an 80-year-old writer and translator in his third lèse majesté trial. The court ruled that his allegedly criminal comment made in public in 2015 did not directly refer to the monarch. His comment could be interpreted in many ways.</p>