World News
Thailand's new political amnesty law takes effect but excludes lese majeste
The law aims to resolve two decades of political conflict but shuts out hundreds charged with insulting the monarchy.
The short version
- A new political amnesty law, the Peaceful Society Promotion Act, has taken effect in Thailand to cover political offenses from January 2005 to July 2025.
- The law excludes corruption, violent crimes, and lese majeste (royal defamation), which critics argue prevents true reconciliation.
- A committee chaired by the prime minister will convene within 30 days to begin determining who qualifies under the law.
Key facts
- The Peaceful Society Promotion Act went into effect on Monday after being published in Thailand's Royal Gazette.[Associated Press]
- The law covers political offenses committed between January 1, 2005, and July 15, 2025, and is estimated by Parliament to potentially cover about 6,000 people.[Associated Press]
- Eligible individuals will have their current imprisonments ended, pending investigations and prosecutions closed, court cases dismissed, and criminal records cleared.[Associated Press]
- The legislation explicitly excludes corruption, crimes resulting in death or serious injury, and lese majeste violations under Article 112 of the Criminal Code.[Associated Press]
- Thai Lawyers for Human Rights reported that only about 10 of at least 54 people imprisoned for political cases as of July are expected to benefit from the amnesty, as the remainder are accused of lese majeste.[Associated Press]
What remains uncertain
- It is currently unclear how long the prime minister's committee will take to process and finalize the list of individuals who qualify for amnesty.[Associated Press]