Five convicted by appeal court imprisoned pending lengthy wait for appeal to Supreme Court
The Supreme Court has denied bail for five people sentenced to prison terms ranging from 16 to 21 years for obstructing a royal motorcade during a pro-democracy protest in October 2020.
The five were sentenced last week by the Court of Appeal after it overturned their acquittal by a lower court in 2023.
The Supreme Court said on Monday that given the seriousness of the charges and the circumstances of the case, there was a reasonable risk that the defendants may flee if released pending appeal, according to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights.
The five defendants — Ekachai Hongkangwan, Bunkueanun “Francis” Paothong, Suranat Panprasert, Chanathip Chaichayangkul and Panupat Phaikoh — were taken to Bangkok Remand Prison. They could remain there for several years before their appeal is heard by the Supreme Court.
The case stemmed from an event at the height of the pro-democracy demonstrations in October 2020, in which a motorcade carrying the Queen was heckled as it drove past a group of protesters.
The charges were laid under the rarely used Section 110 of the Criminal Code — endangering the safety of the Queen — that allows for the death sentence in the most serious cases.
The Court of Appeal found that the five defendants knew the motorcade was carrying the Queen and obstructed it.
The Court of First Instance, in its ruling in 2023, cited witness testimony indicating that everyone — police and protesters included — appeared to have been caught off-guard by the sudden appearance of the motorcade approaching Phitsanulok Road near Government House.
The court found that police had not prepared for any such event, and there were still cars parked on the roadside. There had been no signs posted or announcements made before the procession, it said.
Monday’s Supreme Court ruling came on the same day that Chonthicha Jangrew, a People’s Party MP for Pathum Thani, was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison for lese-majeste.
Prosecutors said she had posted messages on her Facebook page criticising the monarchy.
The Court of Appeal released her on 300,000-baht conditional bail pending an appeal. Had bail not been granted, Ms Chonthicha would have lost her MP status with immediate effect.
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