Thailand’s Supreme Court said on Friday that 44 current and former opposition lawmakers will go on trial over an attempt to amend a law that protects the monarchy from criticism, in another blow to the country’s progressive movement.
The 44, including members of the People’s Party and its disbanded predecessor Move Forward, will face trial from June 30 for alleged ethics violations. If found guilty, they could face the maximum penalty of a lifetime ban from office.
Hundreds of people have been prosecuted in recent years under Thailand’s lese-majeste law, one of the strictest of its kind, with penalties of up to 15 years in prison.
Amid massive youth-led, anti-government protests calling for reform of the monarchy, Move Forward in 2021 sought to amend the law in parliament, arguing it had been misused to stifle political opponents.
Thailand’s constitution enshrines the king in a position of “revered worship”, and royalists regard the monarchy as sacrosanct.
The liberal agenda of the People’s Party and its predecessors has put the movement at odds with Thailand’s conservative establishment, with multiple court rulings against it, including two party dissolutions.
Those facing trial include People’s Party leader Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut, four deputy leaders, and former Move Forward leader Pita Limjaroenrat, who is currently 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,” Natthaphong told a press conference.
The progressive movement’s popularity among young and urban voters helped Move Forward win the 2023 general election, but it was blocked from forming a government by lawmakers aligned with the royalist military.
In 2024, a court ruled that Move Forward’s attempt to reform the royal insult law was unconstitutional and undermined the democratic system. The party was subsequently dissolved and its top leaders banned, but members regrouped days later as 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 beyond corruption cases. The court said serving lawmakers among the 44 would not be suspended during the trial.
Despite leading opinion polls, the People’s Party finished as a surprise runner-up in February’s general election to Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul’s Bhumjaithai Party.