Pro-democracy activist Nawat Liangwattana has been indicted on another count of royal defamation filed against him over a speech he gave at a protest on 14 August 2023, said Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR).

The protest was organized by the student activist group United Front of Thammasat and Demonstration (UFTD) after the Move Forward Party, which won the most seats in the 2023 general election, failed to form a government. While protesters marched from the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC) to the Ratchaprasong Intersection, activists, including Nawat, took turn giving speeches on a truck with loudspeakers.

The complaint against Nawat was filed by Anon Klinkaew, leader of the ultra-royalist group People’s Centre to Protect the Monarchy, who accused Nawat of defaming the monarchy in his speech while discussing the events leading to the 2010 crackdowns on the Red Shirt protests.

The public prosecutor indicted Nawat, alleging that his speech included a remark that misled the public, defamed the King, and would diminish the public’s faith and respect for the King.

On 9 July, the Bangkok South Criminal Court conducted a video conference with Nawat, who is detained pending appeal on a royal defamation charge at the Bangkok Remand Prison, to inform him of the indictment. Nawat pleaded not guilty. Evidence examination will take place on 18 August.