<p>The Khon Kaen Municipal Court has ruled that three students are guilty of violating the Flag Act for flying a &ldquo;monarchy reform&rdquo; flag in front of the former Khon Kaen University dean&rsquo;s office building.</p>

<p>A 19-year-old man in Ubon Ratchathani said he received on 17 March 2022 a summons on a royal defamation charge, possibly for a protest sign he used during a protest on 15 August 2021.</p>

<p>Thailand&rsquo;s rating remains &lsquo;Not Free&rsquo; in Freedom House&rsquo;s 2022 <a href="https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2022/global-expansion-authoritarian-rule">Freedom in the World</a> report, with its score dropping from last year&rsquo;s 30 out of 100 to 29, while the report notes a global threat to freedom and democracy and the expansion of authoritarian regimes.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Activist and human rights lawyer Anon Nampa has been granted bail by the South Bangkok Criminal Court and was released on Monday (28 February 2022), after spending almost 7 months in detention pending trial on several royal defamation charges relating to protests in 2020 &ndash; 2021.</p>

<p>Activist and human rights lawyer Anon Nampa remains in detention, after he was denied bail by the South Bangkok Criminal Court despite being granted bail by other courts, while student activist Parit Chiwarak was released yesterday (24 February 2022) after his lawyer presented evidence of his enrolment at Thammasat University.</p>

<p>For our 2021 Person of the Year, Prachatai has chosen Worawan Sae-aung,&nbsp;an elderly fruit vendor and regular protest-goer,&nbsp;for her courage in standing up against the authorities and her relentless support of the pro-democracy movement.</p>

<p>A year and a half after the protest at the Democracy Monument on 18 July 2020, the youth-led protests have expanded into a popular movement including issues from labour rights and gender equality to religious reform and monarchy reform.</p>

<p>Protest leaders Parit Chiwarak, Anon Nampa, Panupong Jadnok and Jatupat Boonpattararaksa were again denied bail, according to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR).&nbsp; The four have already spent 3-4 months in jail pending trial.</p>

<p>An interview of a lawyer, a severely beaten protester and an arrested citizen media over what happened in one of the most brutal night raid at Din Daeng Intersection.</p>

<p>The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) has warned the media against reporting on calls for monarchy reform after the Constitutional Court ruled that such messages are treasonous.</p>

<p>Yesterday (22 November), the Criminal Court revoked bail for student activist Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul on charges arising from her participation in the <a href="https://prachatai.com/english/node/8820">19 &ndash; 20 September 2020 protest</a>.</p>