An activist-turned MP has been acquitted of a royal defamation charge over a speech he delivered at a 22 August 2020 protest in Ubon Ratchathani province. He faced three royal defamation charges, all of which resulted in acquittals.

Piyarat Chongthep, now a People’s Party MP, was charged with royal defamation and violation of the Computer Crimes Act over his protest speech delivered on 2 August 2020, according to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights.

Piyarat, who was then a member of the volunteer protest guard group We Volunteer, took to the stage and delivered a speech. His speech addressed the King’s power and the Thai military, while he also called for the separation of the royal power from the military.

He further discussed the issue of the royal endorsement following coups, as well as the enactment of a law to transfer the 1st and 11th Infantry Regiments, previously in the military chain of command under the Royal Thai Army and the Ministry of Defence, to the King’s control.

The speech delivered during the protest was livestreamed via a public Facebook page.

Following the event, four individuals, including Piyarat, were prosecuted. He was initially arrested only on a sedition charge. However, after the then Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha announced that all applicable provisions would be enforced against pro-democracy protesters, the public prosecutor later added a royal defamation charge against him.

After being indicted, Piyarat was granted provisional bail with 100,000 baht as security.

During the trial, a prosecution witness testified that he misunderstood Piyarat’s message, concluding that Piyarat called for reform of the monarchy rather than administrative reform concerning the military and the monarchy.

The witness added that he was unaware of the fact that the government had enacted a law transferring the military personnel to the King’s personal control.

It was also found that Piyarat was neither an administrator of the Facebook page nor the organiser of the protest.

Piyarat testified that he spoke in good faith, and the speech was based on historical facts. He argued that if a future coup is carried out by the military units under the King’s control, the King would be questioned by the general public. In order to preserve the revered institution, he suggested that the military should be separated from the monarchy’s control.

On Friday (20 March), the Ubon Ratchathani Provincial Court acquitted Piyarat of all charges, concluding that he merely expressed an opinion on the origin of the Constitution and the structure of relationships among state bodies, and that he did not commit the offences as charged.

Piyarat faced a total of three royal defamation charges, all of which resulted in acquittal.