AP Bangkok

Thailand's former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was acquitted of a royal defamation charge by a court on Friday. The 76-year-old Thaksin, smiling as he walked away from the courtroom, was the first to reveal the verdict, responding to journalists' questions with the single word: "Dismissal."

His lawyer, Winyat Chatmontree, also confirmed the acquittal verdict, as did the Bangkok Criminal Court later in a news release. The law on defaming the monarchy, an offense known as lese majeste, is punishable by three to 15 years in prison. It is among the harshest such laws globally and increasingly has been used in Thailand to punish government critics.

The legal aid group Thai Lawyers for Human Rights has said that since early 2020, more than 270 people - many of them student activists - have been charged with violating the law. The court's news release said it had found the witnesses and evidence were too weak to support conviction.