The Criminal Court has sentenced six protest leaders to jail terms of six months and nine years but suspended the sentences for five of them for their demonstrations against the Yingluck Shinawatra government 10 years ago.
The court on Friday delivered its ruling on a lawsuit filed by public prosecutors against seven defendants, with one being acquitted.
The individuals named in the suit were Nussor Yeema, Uthai Yodmanee, Nititorn Lamlur, Ms Chitpas Kridakorn, Pansuwan Na Kaew, Prakobkit Inthong and Kittisak Prokkati.
They faced charges of illegal assembly, attempting to overthrow the country’s constitutional monarchy during their roles in demonstrations led by the now-defunct People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) against the Yingluck government between Nov 23, 2013, and May 1, 2014.
The court found Mr Nussor, the first defendant and former guard of the Network of Students and People for Reform of Thailand (NSPRT), guilty of illegal assembly and sentenced him to six months without suspension.
Mr Uthai and Mr Nititorn, the second and third defendants, both leading NSPRT members, were sentenced to four years and nine months in prison, along with a fine of 200,000 baht each for their roles in the demonstrations.
Ms Chitpas, or Tant, the fourth defendant and former Democrat Party member, received a nine-month prison term and a fine of 40,000 baht for inciting civil servants to stop work.
Mr Pansuwan and Mr Prakobkit, the fifth and sixth defendants, were given a jail term of four years and nine months and a fine of 180,000 baht each.
Mr Kittisak, the seventh defendant and an academic, was acquitted as the court found that he expressed his opinions honestly based on academic information.
The court later suspended jail terms for two years for all defendants, except Mr Nussor, as they had never served a jail sentence before.