Three activists have been sentenced to nine months in prison by the Criminal Court, after being found guilty of illegally organising a protest in Bangkok in February 2021, when the city was under the state of emergency during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul, Panupong Jadnok and Atthaphon Busphat were indicted for organising a protest in front of Bangkok Art and Culture Centre, at the Pathumwan intersection, on February 10, 2021.

They were also accused of leading a march to the Pathumwan police station, disrupting traffic flow and laying siege to demand the release of their colleagues.

Drinking water bottles and firecrackers were hurled and some cars parked in the compound of the police station were spray-painted during the protest, which descended into a scuffle, resulting in seven police officers being slightly injured, according to the charge sheet.

The court also fined each of the three activists Bt525.

Krisadang Nutcharat, a lawyer with Thai Lawyers for Human Rights said the three activists were granted bail after conviction.