Thai Supreme Court Accepts Ethics Case Against 44 Opposition Lawmakers
The court will hear allegations that 44 current and former opposition lawmakers breached ethics rules over a 2021 bid to amend the royal insult law.
- On Friday, Thailand's Supreme Court accepted an ethics petition accusing 44 current and former opposition lawmakers of violations stemming from a 2021 attempt to amend Section 112, the law protecting the monarchy from criticism.
- The National Anti-Corruption Commission referred the case after a court dissolved the predecessor Move Forward Party in 2024, ruling its campaign to reform the lese-majeste law undermined the democratic system.
- Among the 44 are 10 current MPs, including People's Party leader Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut and deputy leader Sirikanya Tansakul; if convicted, they face lifetime political bans and 10 years of voting disenfranchisement.
- The court stated the case "carries sufficient weight for the court to proceed with its consideration," but "has not ordered the suspension of the MPs' duties" before the June 30 trial begins.
- This legal challenge marks the latest setback for Thailand's liberal opposition, which was blocked from forming government after winning the 2023 election and faces frequent prosecutions under the strict monarchy-protection law.
23 Articles
23 Articles
Sitting and former Thai parliamentarians who proposed reforming the strict ban on lèse-majesté attempted to “overthrow the constitutional monarchy,” according to an indictment.
Thailand: 44 Opposition Politicians Face Lifetime Ban from Politics
Click to expand Image Members of the People's Party at a campaign rally at Samyan Mitrtown Hall in Bangkok, Thailand, January 11, 2026. © 2026 Teera Noisakran/Sipa USA via AP Photo (Bangkok) – Thai authorities will prosecute 44 opposition politicians for sponsoring a bill to reform Thailand’s lèse-majesté (insulting the monarchy) law, which could result in a lifetime ban from politics, Human Rights Watch said today.On April 24, 2026, the Suprem…
They risk a lifetime ban from holding public office. The case is yet another setback for the Thai opposition.
Dozens of Thai opposition figures to go on trial over bid to amend royal insult law
BANGKOK, Thailand – Thailand‘s Supreme Court said on Friday, April 24, 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 facing trial from June 30 for alleged ethics violations include serving and former lawmakers of the People’s Party and its disbanded predecessor Move Forward, who each face the …
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