A court in Bangkok found on Friday that there is not enough evidence for a guilty verdict against Thaksin. The former prime minister was charged with making critical statements about the Thai royal family in a South Korean magazine in 2015, but is now acquitted of all charges.
Thailand has some of the world's strictest laws for lese majesty, with imprisonment of up to 15 years in the penalty scale. Since 2020, over 280 people have been charged with such crimes.
Daughter in turmoil
Critics argue that the laws are used as a political tool to silence critical voices.
At the same time, his daughter Paetongtarn Shinawatra is in constitutional turmoil after a leaked phone call with Cambodia's leader Hun Sen. In the conversation, the border conflict between the countries was discussed and critics argue that Paetongtarn then acted submissively and fawningly towards Hun Sen.
They also point out that Paetongtarn made comments about one of Thailand's generals in the conversation that made him lose face.
No candidates?
Paetongtarn Shinawatra is still the country's prime minister, but she has been suspended from her duties.
If the Constitutional Court convicts Paetongtarn, many believe that the Shinawatra family no longer has any suitable candidates left to take on political assignments, which could mean the end of the dynasty that has dominated the country's politics since the beginning of the 2000s.
