Verdict due for 5 protesters accused of blocking Thai queen’s car. Law allows the death penalty

By JERRY HARMER and JINTAMAS SAKSORNCHAI
Associated Press

BANGKOK (AP) — A court in Thailand is to deliver a verdict Wednesday in the case of five people accused of impeding the queen’s motorcade during a pro-democracy march in 2020. Hundreds of criminal cases have arisen from the student-led protests, but the five defendants are the only ones charged with violating part of a law that prohibits acts to cause harm to the liberty of the queen and heir apparent. It’s unclear if this law has been used previously. It carries a possible death penalty for conduct that is judged egregious. One of the defendants denied knowing a royal motorcade would be there and said he urged people to move away from the queen’s car once he saw it.