Now that the military is in full control of the Thai government, a criminal court in Bangkok has dropped murder charges against the former Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister who ordered the deadly crackdown on pro-Democracy “Red Shirt” protesters in 2010.

The Red Shirts were demanding elections, pointing out that former Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva illegally seized power in an illegal parliamentary vote.  They occupied downtown Bangkok for nine weeks, until Abhisit ordered a crackdown. More than 90 people, mostly civilians, died during the protests.

Those 2010 Red Shirt protesters supported Thaksin Shinawatra, the democratically-elected prime minister whow as removed by an earlier coup in 2006.  Thaksin’s sister Yingluck Shinawatra was eventually elected Prime Minister in 2011, and it was under her government that legal proceedings were brought against Abhisit.

But royalists and militarists who haven’t been capable of winning democratic elections filled the streets of Bangkok this time around, and the army removed Yingluck’s government in May 2014.  Thailand’s King approved the appointment of coup leader General Prayuth Chan-ocha as Prime Minister this week.