The Constitutional Court of Thailand on Wednesday announced it had accepted a petition by the Election Commission to dissolve the opposition Move Forward Party (MFP). The petition was based upon accusations that the MFP violated the country’s royal insult law, or the lèse-majesté law, by proposing amendments to this law. Specifically, MFP proposed amendments to Section 112 of the Criminal Code, to reduce the penalties imposed for lèse-majesté law violations and allow complaints to be filed by the Royal Household Bureau only.
The Election Commission alleged that MFP’s proposals to amend the royal insult law contravened Section 92 of the organic law on political parties. This legislation restricts political parties in Thailand from attempting to overthrow the constitutional monarchy. Following this, the commission requested the dissolution of the MFP, proposing further that the party’s executives should be disqualified from elections or forming a new political party for a decade.
In a previous ruling on January 31, the court deemed MFP’s lobbying for the amendments to the royal insult law as illegal, ordering a halt to the party’s efforts. The MFP, however, rejected the accusations of overthrowing the constitutional monarchy, arguing instead that the ruling will hinder government operations. A statement on their Twitter account echoes these views.
The lèse-majesté law categorizes insults or threats directed at the king, queen, and heirs to the throne as criminal acts. Each violation is punishable with three to 15 years of imprisonment. Numerous Thai activists have been convicted under this statute. In a recently highlighted case, Thai activist and lawyer Arnon Nampa was sentenced to an additional four years of imprisonment for a second violation of the royal insult law on January 17.
The convict, Mongkol “Busbas” Thirakot, a Thailand national and cloth merchant, was given a cumulative sentence of 50 years for a second breach of the lèse-majesté law. The court ruled that his actions of sharing ‘disrespectful images’ and using ‘rude language’ on social media were aimed at defaming, insulting, or showing hatred towards the king.
Originating from the disbanded Future Movement Party, the MFP is known for its liberal and reform-oriented policies. In 2023, it secured a substantial number of seats but fell short of successfully seating prime minister candidate Pita Limjaroenrat due to resistance from the government.
The court has allocated the MFP 15 days to submit their defense.
More details are available in the original report from JURIST – News.