Thai court acquits 5 who were accused of blocking the queen's motorcade during 2020 protests

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A court in Thailand on Wednesday acquitted a student activist and four other people of impeding the motorcade of the country’s queen during pro-democracy demonstrations in 2020, an offense that could have seen them sentenced to 16 years in prison or even the death penalty. Prosecutors had alleged that he knew the royal motorcade, with a limousine carrying Queen Suthida, wife of King Maha Vajiralongkorn, and his son, Prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti, then 15, was due to pass the area and that he and his fellow defendants had broken away to block its route. It said police officers at the scene told the protesters to make way for a royal motorcade and didn’t say it was the queen’s. Lawyer Poonsuk Poonsukcharoen from Thai Lawyers for Human Rights said after the court session concluded that she was happy the five defendants, who always insisted on their innocence, received justice, and that the case was handled in a straightforward way strictly based on evidence that was presented.