Over 40 Thai Opposition Figures to Go on Trial Over Bid to Amend Royal Insult Law

AFP

People's Party leader Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut gestures at his party's headquarters after conceding defeat in Thailand's general election in Bangkok on 8 February 2026.

Thailand’s Supreme Court has ruled that 44 current and former opposition lawmakers will stand trial over an attempt to amend legislation that protects the monarchy from criticism.

The group, which includes serving and former members of the People’s Party and its dissolved predecessor Move Forward, is due to appear in court on 30 June over alleged ethics violations. If found guilty, they could face the maximum penalty of a lifetime ban from political office.

In recent years, hundreds of individuals have been prosecuted under Thailand’s lese-majesté law, one of the strictest in the world, which carries prison sentences of up to 15 years for those convicted.

The case stems from efforts by Move Forward in 2021, following large-scale youth-led protests calling for political reform, to amend the law on the grounds that it had been used to silence political dissent.

Thailand’s constitution places the monarchy in a position of “revered worship”, and royalist groups regard the institution as sacrosanct.

The progressive agenda of the People’s Party and its predecessors has often placed it at odds with the country’s conservative establishment, resulting in multiple court rulings against the movement, including party dissolutions.

Among those named are People’s Party leader Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut, four deputy leaders, and former Move Forward leader Pita Limjaroenrat, who is already serving a 10-year ban from politics.

"We will pursue our legal fight in the Supreme Court to the fullest extent, in order to defend the legitimacy of the representative mandate in a parliamentary democracy," People's Party leader Natthaphong told a press conference on Friday.

The progressive movement’s strong popularity among young and urban Thais propelled Move Forward to victory in the 2023 general election; however, it was prevented from forming a government by lawmakers aligned with the royalist military establishment.

In 2024, a court ruled that Move Forward’s attempt to reform the royal defamation law was unconstitutional and undermined the democratic system. The party was subsequently dissolved by the same court, and its top leaders were banned from political activity, though members regrouped days later under the banner of the People’s Party.

The Supreme Court case stems from a petition filed by Thailand’s National Anti-Corruption Commission, which has a broad investigative mandate extending beyond corruption cases. The court also confirmed that serving lawmakers among the 44 accused will not be suspended during proceedings.

Source: Reuters



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