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Lawyer files petition with Thailand anti-corruption commission against prominent opposition party MPs – JURIST

Lawyer Theerayut Suwankesorn filed a petition with Thailand’s National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) Friday against multiple members of parliament (MPs) of the progressive Move Forward Party (MFP) as reported by the Thai state news agency, National News Bureau of Thailand (NNT). 44 MPs of the MFP have been brought under scrutiny by the petition filed before the NACC for alleged violation of ethical conduct. A day before the NACC petition was filed, activist Ruangkrai Leekitwattana filed a petition with the Thai Election Commission (EC) requesting the commission permanently dissolve the MFP.Both petitions appear to be in response to the Thai Constitutional Court ruling last Wednesday against the MFP, giving unequivocal protection to the country’s lese-majeste law. The court also added that the “Move Forward Party must cease all attempts to amend the lese-majeste law.” The court claimed that any such move by the MFP would indicate an attempt to overthrow the country’s constitutional monarchy. MFP had moved a bill in the country’s parliament to amend section 112 of the penal code, the lese-majeste law. The bill argued for a reduction of sentence in cases of conviction under section 112 and that the complaint could only be filed by a royal household. As per current law, anybody can file a complaint under the section for investigation of conduct and the conviction sentence ranges from three to 15 years in prison. MFP claims the lese-majeste law is frequently manipulated for political reasons. Last year, a human rights attorney was arrested on charges under section 112 and was put in prison for six years on grounds of “insulting the monarchy.” According to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, at least 262 Thai citizens were prosecuted in 287 separate cases under the lese-majeste law in December 2023.