Bangkok: The Criminal Court acquitted Thanathorn of lese majeste charges related to the royally donated vaccines, ruling that his comments constituted criticism of the government’s management of COVID-19 vaccines under General Prayut.
According to Thai News Agency, at 9:00 AM on May 28th, in courtroom 814 of the Criminal Court on Ratchadaphisek Road, the court was scheduled to hear the verdict in case number 875/2565. This lese majeste case saw the Public Prosecutor’s Office, Criminal Division 5, as the plaintiff and Mr. Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, chairman of the Progressive Movement, as the defendant. He was charged with defamation, insult, or expressing malice towards the monarchy under Section 112 of the Criminal Code and the Computer Crime Act.
The charges stemmed from an incident on January 18, 2021, when Thanathorn live-streamed on Facebook criticizing the government’s procurement of COVID-19 vaccines. The stream, entitled “Royal-granted vaccines: Who benefits, who loses?” was alleged to have distorted information, misled the public, and alluded to the monarchy regarding Siam Bioscience and vaccine procurement.
Thanathorn pleaded not guilty, contested the case, and was granted bail during the proceedings. The court, after considering the evidence, determined that his actions were criticisms of the government’s management of COVID-19 vaccines, questioning their ability to handle the situation. The prosecution’s evidence was deemed insufficient to prove that Thanathorn acted with malice towards the monarchy, leading to the dismissal of the case.