The South Bangkok Criminal Court today (20 March) dismissed a royal defamation charge filed against activist Nawat Liangwattana over a speech he gave at a protest on 14 August 2023, said Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR).

The Court noted that to rule whether something is defamatory, it must follow the understanding of an ordinary person, not the point of view of a specific group. It ruled that testimonies given by prosecution witnesses show that the speech might be understood differently depending on an individual’s outlook. The speech therefore did not concern facts about the King or was defamatory towards him.

The Court also noted that no prosecution witness could say how Nawat was threatening the King in his speech. The prosecution did not present evidence showing that it was a threat, and the Court did not see that the speech was a threat.

The protest was organized by the student activist group United Front of Thammasat and Demonstration after the now-dissolved 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 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.

TLHR reported in March 2024 that, according to the police, Nawat was charged because he said “no one should be killed by royal bullets.”

Nawat has been detained at the Bangkok Remand Prison since 9 December 2024 for two other counts of royal defamation filed against him over a speech given at a protest in February 2021 and for reading a statement during the 14 November 2021 German Embassy protest, as well as one count of violating the severe state of emergency during the 17 October 2020 protest. He faces a total prison sentence of 3 years and 8 months. He is also in the process of appealing the sentence for the charge filed over the 14 November 2021 protest.