This article was originally published on Prachatai.
Four Thammasat University students face royal defamation charges after they participated in a political parody parade at the university last year.
The case stems from a post on a page titled “Thammasat University independent political parody group,” in which cloth signs were posted. The complaint was filed by a police officer from the Khlong Luang Police Station, according to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights.
Some students had previously been summoned to the police station for interrogation as witnesses in this case.
According to the police report, the social media post contained images of white cloth signs with political messages. The signs were placed in five different locations on Thammasat University’s Rangsit Campus. One sign, reportedly held up by four people, was found to refer to the monarchy, and the four were later identified as the suspects in this case.
The activity was reportedly held to coincide with the Queen Mother’s royal funeral procession, which travelled from Chulalongkorn Hospital to the Grand Palace. The authorities concluded that the messages on the signs targeted the Queen Mother, and that they constituted insult and defamation against a member of the royal family.
The four students for whom this was the first offence were charged with royal defamation and violation of the Computer Crimes Act. All of them denied the allegations. They were released after questioning and required to report on 20 February.
21-year-old Maimok, one of the four students, stated that students who staged activities at the university should not be prosecuted, as the university should be a safe space for them.
“I do not want anyone to be prosecuted under Section 112 (royal defamation) in this era. Thailand is not a barbaric country,” noted Maimok.
He also encouraged voters, regardless of their political stance, to approve drafting a new constitution in the first referendum on constitutional amendment scheduled for 8 February.
According to TLHR, since the number of royal defamation prosecutions rose significantly in 2020 during the administration of former Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha, approximately 289 people in 320 cases have been prosecuted under this draconian law.