Move Forward was the surprise winner of last year’s election, riding on urban and youth support for its progressive platform that included a once unthinkable proposal to amend the lese majeste law, which carries penalties of up to 15 years in jail for each perceived insult of Thailand’s powerful crown.
In a country where reverence for the monarch has for decades been promoted as central to national identity, the law, under which at least 260 people have been prosecuted in the past few years, is seen by many royalists as sacrosanct.
Move Forward’s plan outraged conservatives who blocked the party’s formation of government.
Activists say that the law has been abused by conservative politicians to sideline and smear liberal opponents. Move Forward argues changing it would strengthen the constitutional monarchy and stop the law being misused.
The case against Move Forward also coincides with another complaint before the court seeking the removal of Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin over a cabinet appointment of a lawyer who was previously jailed.
The two cases have heightened political uncertainty in Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy, where growth has lagging regional peers.
A decision to dissolve Move Forward’s predecessor, Future Forward, in 2020 triggered countrywide youth-led protests against the government.
