Progressive Alliance Calls for the Safeguarding of Democratic Mandates and Parliamentary Integrity in Thailand

BERLIN/BANGKOK – The Progressive Alliance, representing a global network of over 140 progressive political parties and organisations, expresses its gravest concern over an imminent judicial development that threatens to permanently silence a significant part of Thailand’s democratic opposition.

Within the coming days, the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) is expected to formally refer 44 former and current Members of Parliament to the Supreme Court — a move that could trigger the immediate suspension of 10 active Members of Parliament from the People’s Party (PP) and expose all 44 individuals to a lifetime ban from politics. This comes less than two months after the People’s Party, Thailand’s principal progressive opposition force, competed in the February 8 general election.

The case originates from a 2021 legislative proposal to amend Section 112 of the Criminal Code — the lèse-majesté law — submitted through constitutionally legitimate parliamentary procedures. The proposal did not seek to abolish the law or undermine the monarchy, but to make its penalties proportionate and humane: under the current provision, any conviction carries a mandatory minimum sentence of three years’ imprisonment, with no judicial discretion to impose a lesser penalty regardless of the severity of the alleged offence. The proposed amendment sought to bring this sentencing framework into conformity with international human rights standards, including the principle of proportionality enshrined in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) — a treaty Thailand has ratified.

The Progressive Alliance adopted a Resolution on this matter at its Board Meeting in Buenos Aires in September 2025, and the situation has since deteriorated markedly.

The Progressive Alliance wishes to place the following on the record:

• The criminalization of legislative work is incompatible with democracy. A foundational principle of any parliamentary system is that elected representatives must be free to propose, debate, and review legislation without fear of criminal prosecution or lifetime exclusion from politics. Classifying a formal legislative motion — submitted through proper parliamentary channels — as a “serious ethical violation” does not merely punish individuals; it establishes a precedent that places entire categories of legislative debate beyond the reach of democratic scrutiny.
• These proceedings disenfranchise millions. The 44 individuals targeted represent parties that have collectively received the support of tens of millions of Thai voters across successive elections. The immediate suspension of sitting MPs upon court acceptance of the case, and the prospect of lifetime bans thereafter, would strip constituents of their chosen representatives and hollow out the meaning of electoral participation.
• This is a pattern, not an isolated incident. The dissolution of the Future Forward Party in February 2020 — the progressive predecessor to Move Forward, disbanded by court order just months after winning 81 seats in the 2019 general election — established the template. The dissolution of the Move Forward Party in August 2024, which had won the most seats of any party in the 2023 general election with over 14 million votes, followed the same playbook. Add to this the 10-year political ban imposed on Move Forward’s entire leadership, and now this referral of 44 MPs to the Supreme Court for the exercise of their legislative duties — and a pattern becomes undeniable. Over the span of five years, every major progressive political force in Thailand has been dismantled not at the ballot box, where voters have repeatedly chosen them, but through legal mechanisms wielded by unelected institutions. The international community must recognize this pattern for what it is: the systematic and structural exclusion of progressive politics from Thai public life.
• International obligations must be honored. Thailand is a signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the ICCPR. Articles 19 and 25 of the ICCPR guarantee freedom of expression and the right to political participation. We urge all Thai institutions — judicial, legislative, and executive — to ensure that ongoing proceedings conform fully to these binding international standards.
• Regional stability demands a regional response. We call on ASEAN to engage constructively with Thai authorities to defend democratic values and protect political pluralism. As one of ASEAN’s founding members and a key geoeconomic and geopolitical hub, Thailand’s democratic backsliding sets a dangerous precedent that could embolden authoritarian actors across the region, encourage further restrictions on civil liberties in neighboring countries, and erode ASEAN’s credibility in upholding its stated principles on democracy, human rights, and inclusive governance.

The Progressive Alliance stands in unwavering solidarity with the People’s Party and with all those in Thailand who are defending democratic space through peaceful and lawful means.

We call on the NACC, the Supreme Court, and all relevant Thai authorities to uphold due process, ensure full judicial independence, and recognize that the permanent exclusion of political leaders from public life — for the exercise of their parliamentary duties — is incompatible with the rule of law.

We closely monitor developments in Thailand in the coming days and ready to raise Thailand’s democratic situation in bilateral and multilateral forums.

The international community is watching this development. We call upon Thai authorities to respect and protect rights to peaceful protest and political participation, and reaffirm that youth and women’s political participation are integral to building a genuinely inclusive and democratic system.

Democracy belongs to the people. The Progressive Alliance will not remain silent on efforts to dismantle democratic institutions.

Read also: Resolution on Democratic Backsliding and Political Persecution in Thailand