THAILAND'S criminal court on Friday, August 22, 2025, acquitted former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra on royal defamation charges over his remarks to foreign media a decade ago.
The court ruled that there was insufficient evidence to prove Thaksin's wrongdoing, according to local media reports.
"The case was dismissed," Thaksin told reporters outside the courthouse after the verdict was read out.
The Office of the Attorney General indicted Thaksin last year, accusing him of defaming the monarchy during a 2015 interview with a South Korean media outlet, which violated lese majeste and computer crime laws.
The lese-majeste law, or Section 112 of the Criminal Code, stipulates that whoever defames, insults, or threatens the king, queen, heir apparent, or regent shall be punished with imprisonment of three to 15 years.
In a separate case, the Supreme Court is scheduled to rule in September on whether Thaksin's extended hospital stay prior to his release on parole in 2024 constitutes an incomplete serving of his prison term for previous convictions.
Thaksin returned to Thailand from self-exile two years ago. The 76-year-old served as the Southeast Asian country's prime minister from 2001 to 2006 and had been in self-exile abroad since 2008. (Xinhua)