iLaw chief seeks dismissal of PM defamation case

Yingcheep says action brought by Anutin is an example of a bad-faith case meant to intimidate

Yingcheep Atchanont, director of the Internet Law Reform Dialogue (iLaw), has urged the Criminal Court to dismiss a defamation case brought against him by Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul.

He also petitioned the president of the Supreme Court on Thursday to ensure compliance with guidelines on bad-faith criminal prosecutions.

Mr Yingcheep argued that the lawsuit could amount to a bad-faith prosecution intended to intimidate people who disclose information about alleged corruption. 

The case stems from a complaint filed by Mr Anutin, through his lawyer, Supachai Jaisamut, under Sections 326 and 328 of the Criminal Code, which cover defamation and defamation by publication.

The complaint concerns a press conference held by Mr Yingcheep on July 21, after iLaw submitted information to the opposition whip calling for scrutiny of possible government involvement in alleged irregularities in the 2024 Senate election.

The information provided to the opposition for further investigation included witness testimony alleging that Mr Anutin, then deputy prime minister and interior minister, had been approached by a Senate candidate seeking assistance.

Mr Anutin was said to have given the candidate the telephone number of Suksomruay Wantanyakul, then a Bhumjaithai Party MP and now a minister attached to the Prime Minister's Office.

Other information concerned an alleged meeting involving Mr Anutin, Bhumjaithai powerbroker Newin Chidchob and several senators at the Pullman Hotel in Bangkok on the day newly elected senators gathered to discuss the selection of Senate leadership.

Mr Yingcheep said the information came from official investigative records rather than unsupported allegations. After receiving a court summons, he previously asked the Criminal Court's chief judge to dismiss the case under the Supreme Court president's 2026 guidelines on bad-faith criminal proceedings.

He cited provisions concerning public-interest advocacy and the disclosure of alleged corruption, and called for the case to be dismissed under Section 161/1 of the Criminal Procedure Code without a preliminary hearing.

Mr Yingcheep said the lawsuit discourages citizens from exposing suspected wrongdoing. He argued that dismissing the case would prevent the justice system from being used by politicians to intimidate the public.

The Election Commission last month asked the Supreme Court to hear cases against 77 people, including 26 sitting senators, accused of collusion in the 2024 Senate election process.

No political party executives, House of Representatives MPs, other political office holders or reserve senators were named in the charges.

A total of 229 people, including 138 out of the 200 senators, had been identified originally as potential suspects in connection with the 2024 election, in which a disproportionate number of winners were seen as having connections with the Bhumjaithai Party.