The 22 protesters deny accusations of committing sedition and a litany of other crimes, which includes lese majeste, a crime punishable by up to 15 years in prison for each charge.
“They can lock me up, but they can’t lock the truth,” shouted protest leader Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak as he arrived in a prison truck, defiantly displaying the three-finger salute “Hunger Games”, synonymous with youth movement.
“The truth is always the truth, whether in prison, under torture or awaiting execution, the truth is the truth,” said Parit, 22, who is among seven defendants held in remand and also accused of insulting King Maha Vajiralongkorn. as sedition.
Thailand’s youth movement represented the biggest challenge so far for Prime Minister and former coup leader Prayut Chan-o-cha, who they say has devised a process that would preserve the political status quo and keep him in power after the elections in 2019. Prayut rejected this.
Protesters also broke a traditional taboo by demanding a reform of the powerful monarchy, saying that the constitution drawn up by the military after the 2014 coup gives the king a lot of power.
The duration of the trial will be determined on Monday, after the defense and the prosecution discuss how many witnesses the two sides will call for the case, which follows a demonstration in September.