KHON KAEN: Jatupat Bunpattararaksa, also known as Pai Dao Din, appeared before the 23rd Military Circle Court on Monday morning as his trial resumed over his participation in a gathering in 2015 to protest against the coup.
It was the second defence witness hearing in the case against Mr Jatupat, a student at Khon Kaen University accused of defying the regime's ban on political assembly.
His family and relatives were at the court to greet him.
Defence counsel Anon Nampha said before entering the courtroom that Mr Jatupat would testify as a witness. The court had scheduled the hearing for Monday and Tuesday.
Mr Anon, of Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, said the defence team had added three more witnesses to the list to testify in favour of Mr Jatupat and the three human rights academics also facing charges.
Mr Jatupat was arrested after taking part in the protest gathering on May 22, 2015 at the Democracy Monument in Muang district of Khon Kaen.
He was released on bail, but arrested again in 2016 in Chaiyaphum while he and others were disseminating documents questioning the merit of the draft charter, which was subsequently passed by a referendum on Aug 7, 2016.
The student activist also faced a lese majeste charge after sharing an article on his Facebook page and was sentenced to five years in jail, but the term was halved because he confessed.