Pakistan, April 25 -- Thailand's Supreme Court said on Friday that 44 current and former opposition lawmakers will go on trial over an attempt to amend a law that protects the monarchy from criticism, in another blow to the country's progressive movement.

The 44, including members of the People's Party and its disbanded predecessor Move Forward, will face trial from June 30 for alleged ethics violations. If found guilty, they could face the maximum penalty of a lifetime ban from office.

Hundreds of people have been prosecuted in recent years under Thailand's lese-majeste law, one of the strictest of its kind, with penalties of up to 15 years in prison.

Amid massive youth-led, anti-government protests calling for reform of the monarchy,...