iLaw Director Vows to Defend Against Anutin Defamation Suit

BANGKOK — 8 October 2026, iLaw director Yingcheep Atchanont has vowed to fight a defamation lawsuit filed by Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, saying information he presented concerning alleged irregularities in the 2024 Senate election was based on evidence and witness accounts. Yingcheep said he plans to ask the court to summon documents, CCTV footage, telephone records and witnesses related to the alleged Senate election fraud case. He also said he would appear in court himself on 14 December 2026 and called on Anutin, as the plaintiff, to personally testify. At 14:00 on 8 October 2026, Yingcheep, together with lawyer Anusorawadee Mruaksirimas and iLaw creative and data analyst Kanyalak Sunthornpruek, held a press conference at the iLaw office to outline their legal strategy in the case filed by Anutin against Yingcheep for defamation by publication. The Criminal Court has scheduled a preliminary hearing for 09:00 on 14 December 2026. Yingcheep addressed a complaint filed by some senators with the Central Investigation Bureau seeking legal action against him, saying he found the document “amusing” after reviewing it. He said the complaint did not clearly identify the complainants or explain how the alleged victims had been harmed. The section concerning him consisted of only about three lines and did not clearly specify which offence he was alleged to have committed. He said the document only cited Section 86 of the Criminal Code, concerning an aider or abettor, without identifying the underlying offence. After reviewing the details, Yingcheep said he found no indication that he had committed the alleged offence. He also questioned why the authors of the complaint had not clearly identified themselves. He said the document also referred to an incident at the Miracle Grand Hotel, where he had rented a venue to hold a public event. Yingcheep insisted that no offence had been committed at the venue and said that if individuals had engaged in discussions concerning alleged Senate election irregularities there, those actions were unrelated to him. Anusorawadee outlined the defence strategy, saying that on 15 September 2026, Anutin authorised Supachai Jaisamut to file the defamation lawsuit against Yingcheep at the Criminal Court. The case was registered as Black Case No. A.2672/2569, with the preliminary hearing scheduled for 09:00 on 14 December 2026. The lawsuit concerns a press conference held by Yingcheep on 21 July 2026 at Parliament, when he submitted a letter to the chairman of the opposition coalition coordination committee calling for an investigation into government figures who might have been connected to alleged irregularities in the 2024 Senate election. Anutin, who was prime minister at the time, was among the names mentioned. Anusorawadee said two key issues concerning Anutin were raised at the press conference. The first involved a Senate candidate who allegedly said she had approached Anutin for assistance and received a telephon