Bangkok. A Thai court on Wednesday acquitted a student activist and four others of obstructing the country’s Queen’s motorcade during pro-democracy protests in 2020. This was a crime for which he could have been sentenced to 16 years in prison. There is even a provision of death penalty for this. The ‘Bangkok Criminal Court’ has given a verdict in a case which was registered under the law under which rare cases are registered.
Cases are registered under this law for acts done with the intention to “injure the liberties of the Queen, the Heir and Regent”. Legal experts do not even remember any case being filed under this law before. The ruling represents a rare legal victory for Thailand’s pro-democracy movement. People often face an uphill battle in conservative courts, which are widely seen as a bulwark against political and social change.
After the verdict was pronounced, people in the courtroom expressed their happiness by clapping. Smiling defendants hug each other. Due to such an atmosphere in the court, the judge had to ask the people to calm down while pronouncing the full order. Ekchai Hongkangwan, one of the defendants, said he always had faith that the courts would make a just decision and that the judges showed that people could still trust the justice system.
Bankuenun Paothong (23), a student of ‘International Relations’, said that he did not know that a royal motorcade was going to pass. He had said that when he saw the royal convoy, he urged people to move away. The case stems from an incident that took place during a rally in Bangkok on October 14, 2020. Those attending the rally were demanding democratic reforms, including curtailing the privileges of the country’s powerful monarchy.
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