The Future Forward Party (FFP) is paying a high price for coming in as the second runner-up in the general election. Key FFP figures -- namely party leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit and secretary-general Piyabutr Saengkanokkul -- have been slapped with dubious criminal accusations that were brought against them by the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO).
Mr Thanathorn, is accused of sedition and providing refuge to wanted individuals with links to a peaceful anti-coup demonstration that took place in June 2015.
Meanwhile, Mr Piyabutr is accused of computer crimes and contempt of court for simply reading a statement on the Constitutional Court's decision to dissolve the Thai Raksa Chart Party in early February, and publishing it on the party's website.
Those who are sensible will consider these accusations as baseless, but these moves reflect the NCPO's unjust and excessive abuse of the Thai Criminal Code as a means to serve its political goals.
Since the current military regime took over in 2014, the junta has persecuted "dissidents" for exercising their basic rights -- such as their freedom of expression and their right to convene in peaceful political gatherings. About 1,500 cases have been tried in military courts. While decision on hundreds of cases are still pending, about 90 people have been charged with sedition.
Before the coup, the anti-sedition law, which carries a maximum jail term of seven years, was rarely used. Critics have pointed out that the NCPO has used this law against its critics in order to make it look like they committed a serious crime, such as inciting widespread disobedience that could threaten peace, order, and thus national security. But none of their acts have been proven to bring about such harm.
The same goes for the sedition accusation made against Mr Thanathorn. It remains unclear how his alleged involvement in a peaceful protest can be construed as a violation of the anti-sedition law, when the event itself did not pose a security threat -- both to the public and the nation. This case, in fact, should have been closed by now.
The timing of the charges against Mr Thanathorn also appears dubious, especially given the fact that the FFP has grown rapidly in such a short time to become a serious rival of the pro-regime Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP), whose prime ministerial candidate is also the chairman of the NCPO and incumbent premier, Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha.
If this case is pursued, Mr Thanathorn will be tried in a military court -- a condition required by the NCPO for all charges involving "national security" that took place prior to Sept 12, 2016.
Additionally, the NCPO's motive for accusing Mr Piyabutr of contempt of court for expressing his views on the party dissolution case is also questionable. Providing academic opinions should not be construed as contempt of court, as long as it does not constitute an obstruction to the justice process.
Even so, if Mr Piyabutr's act is considered contempt of court, the case should be pursued by the courts themselves -- not a third party like the NCPO. Before the recent accusations, both Mr Thanathorn and Mr Piyabutr had already been slapped with computer crime charges for criticising the NCPO on the FFP's Facebook page last year.
For almost five years, the NCPO has exploited the law to suppress freedom of expression. After the polls, all pending criminal cases against dissidents should be dropped, and there should be no new politically motivated attempts to persecute anyone.
