The Supreme Court acquitted three former leaders of the now defunct People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) today, but sentenced a fourth to six months in prison, in connection with the seizure of the state-run NBT television station 17 years ago.
The Supreme Court’s decision today overturned the verdicts and sentences of the Criminal and Appeals courts on the three defendants.
Among them are outspoken TV commentator and Thaksin critic Anchalee Paireerak, Yutthiyong Limlertvatee and Puwadol Songprasert.
The court reduced the sentence for the fourth defendant, Chitiphat Limthongkul, from eight to six months.
The cases date back to 2007, when then a political group, known as the PAD, staged a mass protest against the then government of Samak Sundaravej.
During the protest, a group of protesters laid siege to the NBT state-run television station and eventually sized control of it. Five protest leaders were later arrested by police and indicted in the Criminal Court on charges of criminal association and causing damaged to property in the TV station.
The five defendants were Anchalee, Yutthiyong, Puwadol, Chitiphat and Somkiat Pongpaiboon.
All except Somkiat were sentenced by the Criminal Court to one-year in prison, without suspension, on February 12, 2020. Somkiat was sentenced to two years, but he died a year later and the case against him was dropped.
On May 10th, 2022, the Appeals Court upheld the one-year sentence against the four remaining defendants.
