A Thai court has dismissed a high-profile case against former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra over allegations he violated the country’s strict laws on royal insults.
Thaksin, 76, was accused of breaching Thailand’s lese-majeste law during a 2015 interview with foreign media while in self-imposed exile.
The law protects the royal family from abuse and criticism, with penalties of up to 15 years in prison for those found guilty.
“The case was dismissed,” Thaksin told reporters with a smile as he left the court house following the verdict on Friday. His lawyer earlier confirmed the decision to Reuters but gave no reason for the dismissal. Thaksin has repeatedly pledged allegiance to the king, who is enshrined in the Thai constitution as being in a position of “revered worship”, with the palace seen by royalists as sacrosanct.
Thaksin’s case was the highest-profile among more than 280 prosecutions in recent years under the controversial law, which activists say has been abused by conservatives to silence dissent and sideline political rivals.
Royalists argue that the law is necessary to protect the crown. The law has been increasingly interpreted to cover anything seen as tarnishing the monarchy’s image.³
Despite being retired, Thaksin remains a major force in Thai politics. He is widely seen as the power behind the ruling Pheu Thai party led by his daughter, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who is under suspension as the country’s prime minister.
Paetongtarn faces the prospect of dismissal by the Constitutional Court for an alleged violation of ethics over a leaked telephone conversation with Cambodia’s former leader Hun Sen.
Thaksin also faces another key legal test in September, where the Supreme Court will decide whether his six-month stint in hospital detention prior to his release on parole in 2024 should count as time served in a jail term for abuse of power and conflicts of interest.
He could potentially be made to serve the time in prison. This upcoming verdict adds to the uncertainty surrounding Thaksin’s future and the stability of the ruling party.