<p>22 people facing charges relating to the protests on 19 &ndash; 20 September 2020, including 7 protest leaders facing lèse majesté charges, have withdrawn their legal representation in protest at court measures and treatment by prison officials which deny them the right to a fair and open trial. &nbsp;</p>

<p>Activist Piyarat &ldquo;Toto&rdquo; Chongthep was immediately re-arrested on a royal defamation charge under Section 112, Thailand&rsquo;s lèse majesté law, after he was granted bail on a criminal organization charge and released from Bangkok Remand Prison.</p>

<p>12 pictures by Prachatai&#39;s field reporters during the protest at Sanam Luang on 20 March before the clash with crowd control police began.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The public prosecutor has postponed until 13 May 2021 the hearing of 13 people involved in the <a href="https://prachatai.com/english/node/8881">protest in front of the German Embassy in Bangkok</a> on 26 October 2020, as the prosecutor has yet to finish the paperwork needed to file the case against the protesters.</p>

<p>Protesters returned to the Ratchaprasong intersection on Wednesday&nbsp;night (24 March) to call for reform and release of detained activists despite police violence at recent protests.</p>

<p>Following the <a href="https://prachatai.com/english/node/9134">protest on Saturday</a> (20 March), Amnesty International calls for the Thai authorities to drop all charges against children and others who participate in protests and for an investigation into the authorities&#39; excessive use of force and ill treatment against protesters.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Prison guards attempted last night (15 March) to take activists Jatupat &ldquo;Pai Dao Din&rdquo; Boonpattarasaksa and Panupong Jadnok out of the wing where they are being held, claiming that they needed to be tested for Covid-19, says human rights lawyer Anon Nampa in a petition filed with the Criminal Court.</p>

<p>The <a href="https://prachatai.com/english/node/9113">denial of bail</a> for four protest leaders on Monday (8 March) is &quot;tantamount to a systematic suppression of freedom of expression and freedom of opinion&quot; in Thailand, says Amnesty International, who calls on the government to end legal prosecution against dissenting voices.&nbsp;</p>

<p>As protests in Thailand begin to intensify again, authorities must urgently de-escalate their current heavy-handed approach and stop trampling the human rights of peaceful protesters, said Amnesty International on Saturday (6 March).&nbsp;</p>

<p>A 16-year-old protester arrested during the night of 28 February speaks out about his arrest and assault by riot police.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Protesters gathering near the headquarters of the 1st Infantry Regiment, the King&rsquo;s Guard in Bangkok last night (28 February) were met with tear gas and rubber bullets during a clash with riot control police.</p>

<p>10 ministers, including prime minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha, survived Saturday&rsquo;s (20 February) no-confidence vote despite the efforts of the opposition parties, stirring up public disappointment.</p>