A Thai court of appeals has dismissed criminal defamation charges against a British labor rights activist who was sued by a fruit packaging company after he alleged human rights violations at its factory.

Andy Hall's protracted legal battle stemmed from a 2013 report he researched for Finnish consumer organization Finnwatch that alleged labor abuses at Natural Fruit's pineapple canning operation. It employed migrant workers from Myanmar who said the company abused them and broke labor regulations.

Sunya Joongdee, a lawyer for Hall, said Thursday's court ruling dismissed the criminal defamation case, which also resulted in the collapse of a related computer crime case.

He says the court accepted that Hall's interviews with migrant workers revealed information that should be made public.