In December 2025, Attapon “Khru Yai” Buapat, a political activist currently detained under Section 112 charges, was informed of additional charges under the Emergency Decree. The charges stemmed from his participation in the Kabuan Saded Car Mob on 30 July 2021. Previously, the investigating officer had recommended that the case should not be prosecuted. However, after the case file was forwarded to the Roi Et Provincial Prosecutor, that recommendation was overturned, and an order was issued to proceed with the prosecution.
During the past month, verdicts were delivered in at least seven cases, including four cases under Section 112 and three other cases. All seven cases resulted in a guilty verdict.
Of the seven cases, four of the sentences included imprisonment without suspension: Nattapon’s Section 112 case, wherein the Appeals Court sentenced him to 1 year and 6 months in prison; Busbas’ Section 112 case, wherein the Supreme Court sentenced him to 46 years in prison; “Jae Pocky’s” case, wherein the Court of First Instance sentenced her to 3 years in prison; and “Tonpai’s” case, wherein the Court of First Instance sentenced him to 20 years in prison.
As for the remaining cases, two of the sentences included imprisonment and a fine. The first was the case against “Pa Jame” for violations of the Emergency Decree and other charges, stemming from the #Mob6Oct21 protest at the Din Daeng Intersection. The court sentenced him to 1 year in prison without suspension and a 2,500-baht fine. The second was the case against Aphisit Phromrit for participation in the #KampaengpetchWillNotStandThis Car Mob back in 2021. The main charge was for violations of the Emergency Decree. The Supreme Court upheld the verdict, sentencing him to two months’ imprisonment and a fine of 20,000 baht, with the prison sentence suspended for one year.
As for the case against Wantana, arising from an incident in which she confronted General Prayut,, the Supreme Court amended the verdict into a guilty one, with a 2-year suspension period.
Furthermore, public prosecutors issued at least one new indictment in December. This was in the case against three Roi-et youths, including Kochakorn, Thanantorn and Thanyaboon, all of whom were indicted before the Roi-et Juvenile and Family Court for their involvement in the Kabuan Saded Car Mob.
Meanwhile, a public prosecutor ordered the non-indictment of one Section 112 case involving a member of the public, which concerned a statement about King Rama X made in March 2023.
Additionally, in the past month, Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR) launched the “Rights Review” website, a human rights database documenting engagement with United Nations Special Procedures. The website compiles communications submitted to Thailand by UN Special Rapporteurs and working groups, including the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, with particular emphasis on issues related to Section 112..
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According to documentation by Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR), from the “Free Youth” assembly on 18 July 2020 through 31 December 2025, at least 1,987 individuals have been prosecuted in connection with public assemblies or the expression of political opinions, across a total of 1,341 cases. Compared to November 2025, this represents an increase of two additional cases.
In total, there have been at least 4,065 prosecutions when repeat cases are counted.
Prosecution statistics in key offences are as follows;
1. Section 112 (lèse-majesté) of the Criminal Code, at least 285 individuals in 319 cases (Of this, at least 169 cases have stemmed from reports to the police made by members of the public.)
2. Section 116 (sedition) of the Criminal Code, at least 156 individuals in 57 cases (one additional case in the past month)
3. Violation of the Emergency Decree, at least 1,466 individuals in 678 cases (one additional case in the past month)
4. Violation of the Public Assembly Act, at least 199 individuals in 109 cases
5. Violation of the Computer Crimes Act, at least 218 individuals in 242 cases
6. Contempt of court, at least 45 individuals in 27 cases, and insult of the court, at least 37 individuals in 11 cases
Of 1,341 cases, 781 cases have reached their final verdicts (although some cases remain outstanding, since certain defendants decided to appeal the verdicts, while others have not).
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Prosecution trend in December 2025 and key events;
Police Press Emergency Decree Charges Against “Khru Yai” Over 2021 Roi Et Car Mob; Numerous Citizens Face Charges in Phayao After Thamanat Authorizes Complaints Over Online Comments
In December, police from Roi-et Police Station informed Attapon “Kru Yai” Buapat, a political activist currently detained at the Bangkok Remand Prison under Section 112, of his additional charge under the Emergency Decree. The charges stemmed from his participation in the Kabuan Saded Car Mob on 30 July 2021 at Roi-et.
The origin of this case dates back to four years ago, when seven youths and activists received a warrant, but after a request for postponement, they received no further summons. They were then notified that the investigating officer had recommended that the case not be prosecuted. However, once the case file was sent to the Roi-Et Provincial Prosecutor, the recommendation was overturned with an order to proceed with the prosecution.
That was until 21 October 2025, when the case was revisited. The police informed the three youths, including Kochakorn, Thanantorn and Thanyaboon, of their charges. Most recently, on 19 December 2025, the public prosecutor for juvenile cases ordered an indictment of the three youths before the Roi-et Juvenile and Family court.
The remaining defendants in this case include two citizens: Jirayu and Suthiporn, both of whom had already been informed of their charges prior, and “Fah” Promsorn, who had just been notified of her charges on 6 January 2026.
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The past month also saw a situation where citizens in multiple areas received warrants from the Phayao Police Station to acknowledge their charges of “defamation through advertisement” under Section 328. Capt. Thamanat Prompow had authorized Athit Manassa to file police reports against citizens for their comments on Facebook. These comments were in response to an inquiry by Rangsiman Rome, an MP from the People’s Party, regarding scammer networks and money laundering linked to key politicians.
In the past month, “Apple” Suphaporn Poesri traveled to acknowledge charges at the Phayao Police Station, alongside requesting a transfer of the case to Banpong Police Station in her hometown, Ratchburi province. She cited the inconvenience and high costs of travel to Phayao, but the police rejected her request.
The aforementioned use of defamation laws by state authorities—targeting both public expression and filing complaints in remote jurisdictions where they hold influence—imposes a significant burden on defendants in the trial process. This tactic is classified as a ‘Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation’ (SLAPP), a situation that warrants close monitoring.
Furthermore, two additional cases counted in December involve protests and expressions with multiple defendants. In instances where certain defendants choose to plead guilty, their cases are separated from the others for independent sentencing. This procedural split results in an increase in the total number of tracked cases.
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The Supreme Court amends previous verdict in the Section 112 case of “Busbas, sentencing him to 46 years in prison; The Criminal Court sentences “Tonpai” to 20 years in prison for posting 10 posts
Throughout December 2025, courts delivered rulings in at least seven cases arising from public assembly and political expression. These included four cases under Section 112 of the Criminal Code and three cases under other laws. All seven cases resulted in a guilty verdict.
Of the five Section 112 cases in which verdicts were issued during the month, two were decided by a Court of First Instance, one by the Court of Appeal, and one by the Supreme Court. The cases are summarized below:
In the case against Nattapon (surname withheld), who was charged for commenting under “Somsak Jeamteerasakul’s” Facebook post regarding the rumor of King Rama X’s illness on 12 May 2021, the defendant has changed his plea into a confession. The Appeals Court upheld the verdict from the Court of First Instance to sentence the defendant to 1 year and 6 months in prison without suspension, stating that the comment received 230 likes, therefore the action spread to the public and defamed the monarchy.
The Supreme Court subsequently denied bail, and Nattapon has been detained at Bangkok Remand Prison since 8 December 2025.
In the case against Mongkol “Busbas” Thirakot, stemming from 27 Facebook posts made between March and April 2021: while the Court of Appeal Region 5 originally sentenced him to 50 years in prison (for 25 posts), the Supreme Court issued a ruling this past December amending the judgment. The Supreme Court acquitted him on two counts for which the Appeals Court had previously convicted him, ultimately finding him guilty on 23 counts. This resulted in a total prison sentence of 46 years. Despite the reduction, this Supreme Court sentence remains the highest ever recorded for a Section 112 case. Busbas is currently detained at the Chiang Rai Central Prison and will reach his two-year mark of incarceration in early 2026.
In the case against Pawat “Jae Pocky” Hiranphon, who was accused of participating in the #EveryoneWearsACropTopToSiamParagon rally on 20 December 2020, the Bangkok South Criminal Court sentenced him to 3 years in prison without suspension. The court found that there was witness testimony placing the defendant at the scene of the incident. The defendant’s actions were deemed criminal, constituting joint perpetration of acts that demeaned the monarchy. On the same day, the court issued an order granting bail pending appeal.
Lastly, in the case of Pruttikorn “Tonpai” Sarakul, the defendant was accused of operating the Facebook account “Hierarchy Parasite” and the X (formerly Twitter) account “Guillotine Activists for Democracy,” through which content referring to the monarchy was posted. Five posts were made on each account, for a total of ten posts, during January 2022. The Criminal Court found the defendant guilty and sentenced him to a total of 30 years’ imprisonment, before reducing the sentence by one third to 20 years.
In this case, witness examination was conducted in absentia after the defendant failed to appear in court and authorities were unable to locate him.
Overall, counting from cases arising since late November 2020 to the present, courts have issued verdicts in at least 204 cases under Section 112.
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Appeals Court overturns acquittal and convicts “Pa Wantana” over shouted criticism of General Prayut, while “Pa James” is granted bail after the Court of First Instance ruling in the #Mob6Oct64 case following three months of detention
As for the three cases related to public assembly and political expression in which courts issued verdicts, the details are as follows.
In the case against “Pa James” Phanudech (surname withheld), he was charged under Sections 138, 140, 215, and 216 of the Criminal Code, as well as with violating the curfew under the Emergency Decree. These charges stemmed from the “Thalu Gaz” protest, or #Mob6Oct21, at the Din Daeng Intersection. He was accused of being involved in a clash with crowd control police that resulted in injuries to one officer. Previously, the public prosecutor had already indicted seven other citizens in connection with the same incident.
After James was indicted, while he was being detained at Bangkok Remand Prison in an unrelated personal case and even after completing his sentence in that case, the Criminal Court denied him bail during the trial. He remained in detention until he changed his plea to guilty. Last month, the court sentenced him to two years’ imprisonment and a fine of 5,000 baht, later reducing the sentence by half to one year’s imprisonment and a fine of 2,500 baht. The court then granted him bail pending appeal after he had been detained in this case for a total of 107 days.
The case against Wantana Oh-thong stemmed from an incident where she stood waiting for a motorcade and shouted criticisms of the performance of General Prayut Chan-o-cha (who was the Prime Minister at the time), during his visit to Ban Pong District, Ratchaburi Province on 13 March 2023. She was subsequently indicted on three charges: disobeying an officer’s order under Section 368, causing a public disturbance or making an unreasonable noise under Section 370 and resisting or obstructing an official by using force or acts of violence under paragraph two of Section 138.
Previously, the Ratchaburi Kwaeng Court had sentenced Wantana to 6 months and 10 days in prison and a 1,000-baht fine, without suspension. The Court of Appeals Region 7 then overturned this verdict, acquitting her of all charges. The Appeals Court saw the actions of the police as a deprivation of the freedom of expressions citizens have under the Constitution. In the past month, the Supreme Court amended the judgment, finding her guilty on two charges, namely disobeying an official order and resisting or obstructing an official by using force or acts of violence, but ordered a suspension of sentencing for a period of two years. The case has therefore concluded.
The final case concerns Aphisit Phromrit, who participated in the #KamphaengPhetWillNotTolerate car mob on 1 August 2021 to call for General Prayut Chan o cha’s resignation. He was charged with violating the Emergency Decree, breaching a Kamphaeng Phet provincial order, and failing to notify authorities of a public assembly under the Public Assembly Act.
After more than four years of legal proceedings, the Supreme Court upheld the judgment of the Region 6 Appeals Court, finding that the defendant had acted as an organizer of a car mob that posed a risk of spreading Covid 19. He was sentenced to three months’ imprisonment and a fine of 30,000 baht. The sentence was reduced by one third to two months’ imprisonment and a fine of 20,000 baht, with the prison sentence suspended for one year.
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Indictment of 3 youths involved in the 2021 Kabuan Saded Car Mob to oust General Prayut
In December 2025, public prosecutors brought at least one new indictment. This was in the case against 3 Roi-et youths, including Kochakorn, Thanantorn and Thanyaboon, all of whom were indicted before the Roi-et Juvenile and Family Court for their involvement in the Kabuan Saded Car Mob to oust General Prayut on 30 July 2021 at Roi-et.
All three individuals were charged with co-organizing activities that violated the Emergency Decree, Roi Et Provincial Announcement No. 37/2021, and the Communicable Diseases Act. In this particular case, charges were only recently notified on 21 October 2025, marking yet another ongoing political expression case involving youth, despite more than four years having passed since the protest took place.
Furthermore, it was found that in the past month, a public prosecutor ordered not to indict a Section 112 case against a citizen for a statement made about King Rama X back in March 2023. This case is handled by the Bangna Police Station.
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Launching the “Rights Review” website, a human rights database on engagement with UN Special Procedures
In December 2025, TLHR held the “UNcover: Understanding Multilateralism and Human Rights in a World of Power Politics” event, inviting students and interested members of the public to learn more about and better understand UN human rights mechanisms.
At the same time, TLHR launched the “Rights Review” website, a human rights database compiling the use of United Nations Special Procedures. The website brings together communications sent to Thailand by UN Special Procedures, including Special Rapporteurs and the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, with particular emphasis on issues related to Section 112.
Furthermore, the website acts as a space for presenting the statistics on political prosecution through storytelling, giving users a clearer picture. By presenting data on political prosecutions through various dimensions which reflect the identity of the prosecuted—such as gender, age, and occupation—readers are then able to crystallize how these numerical figures represent real human lives and that despite Thailand currently being under an elected civilian government, political prosecutions continue to occur.
Visit the website https://rightsreview.tlhr2014.com/
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