18 protest leaders have been acquitted of sedition over a 2018 protest calling on the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) to hold elections as promised.

The lawsuit stemmed from a protest held at Thammasat University on 21-22 May 2018 on the fourth anniversary of the 2014 coup. The protesters attempted to march to Government House but were intercepted by the officials in front of the United Nations Building on Ratchadamnoen Road.

They faced 12 charges, most of which were under the Public Assembly Act. They were also charged with sedition, which carried the heaviest penalty.

On 26 March, the Criminal Court ruled that all of them were not guilty of sedition, concluding that the protest was carried out peacefully as guaranteed in the Constitution. They also notified authorities of the assembly in line with the law.

In addition, after the NCPO held elections, the protesters did not stage further protests, indicating that their intention was solely to demand elections. Despite some injuries resulting from a scuffle over metal barricades, such an incident was considered a normal occurrence in any protest.

The 18 protest leaders, including detained activists Anon Nampa and Ekachai Hongkangwan, and former People’s Party MP Chonticha Jaeng-rew, were found guilty of the unauthorised use of a sound amplifier, for which each of them was fined 200 baht.

After the verdict was delivered, Ekachai attempted to argue that he neither held a microphone nor used any amplification equipment during the protest, and many of those indicted did not give a speech that day.

However, the Court insisted on imposing this charge on all defendants.

In 2018, a group called “People Who Want Elections” periodically organised activities calling on the NCPO to hold elections and to step down. The group held at least six activities across the capital, leading to a series of lawsuits by the NCPO.

In this case, the NCPO’s legal representative Col Burin Thongprapai filed complaints against 62 protesters, including 41 participants and 21 protest leaders.

According to Col Burin, the defendants failed to comply with the NCPO Head Order No. 3/2015, which prohibited political gatherings.

Regarding the lawsuit against 41 participants, 39 were acquitted, while one was dismissed, and the other participant passed away during the trial.