15 May 2026 — Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR) is honored to announce that Irish lawyers have formally nominated Arnon for the 2026 The Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE) Human Rights Award, this coincides as the Bangkok Criminal Court convened a witness hearing last week in Black Case No. Aor. 287/2564, one of the latest lèse-majesté proceedings against human rights defender and lawyer Arnon Nampa.
The CCBE Human Rights Award has been awarded annually since 2007 to recognize lawyers’ associations that have demonstrated outstanding commitment and sacrifice in upholding the core value of the legal profession and advancing human rights. The award is presented by the President of the CCBE at its annual plenary session.
The award is not limited to lawyers in Europe and carries no geographical restriction. Candidates must be nominated through a bar association or law society holding member or observer status with the CCBE. The CCBE Human Rights Committee is responsible for reviewing nominations and submitting shortlisted candidates to the Standing Committee, which makes the final selection of the award recipient each year.
For instance, in 2023, the CCBE Human Rights Committee awarded Hang Tung Chow, Xu Zhiyong and Ding Jiaxi, three lawyers from China recognized for their contributions to the protection of human rights and the rule of law. In 2024, the award was granted to the Legal Clinic of the Panzi Foundation in recognition of their exceptional work in providing legal assistance to survivors of sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In 2025, the award was presented to human rights lawyer Sonia Dahmani for her work promoting freedom of expression and safeguarding the independence of the legal profession in Tunisia.
Arnon’s CCBE nomination was jointly submitted by the Law Society of Ireland and the Bar Council of Ireland, recognizing his fearless human rights work and unwavering defense of freedom of expression. Both organizations strongly view that he should be released from prison and allowed to continue his practice as a lawyer defending human rights and, in particular, the right to freedom of expression.
The nomination has brought increased attention to this year’s deliberations of the CCBE committee, as the award consideration process continues to be followed with significant interest.
Arnon Nampa has been detained for more than two years and seven months under Section 112, with lèse-majesté cases still ongoing, while continuing to carry out his duties as a lawyer despite his imprisonment.
In 2025, Arnon Nampa received the Front Line Defenders Award for Human Rights Defenders at Risk from Front Line Defenders in Dublin, Ireland, in recognition of his work as a human rights lawyer dedicated to the promotion and protection of human rights despite facing serious risks to his personal safety.
As Irish lawyers honor his life’s work, Arnon remains detained in Bangkok Remand Prison, where he has been held since 26 September 2023 with all 149 bail applications denied.
To date, Arnon Nampa has been convicted by courts of first instance in 11 cases under Section 112 of the Criminal Code. The combined prison sentences imposed across these cases, none of which have been concluded, amount to approximately 31 years and 9 months. All cases remain under appeal.
What makes his situation all the more remarkable is that, even from behind bars, he has not stopped working as a lawyer. He continues to provide legal defense to individuals prosecuted for exercising their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, and represents clients in 19 cases from detention, a political prisoner who still serves as counsel for others.
“Throughout the period in which Arnon has been detained six times, totaling nearly four years, he has used every opportunity in court to represent his fellow defendants, with whom he shares a common ideology, even while wearing a prison uniform,” said Pathomporn Kaewnoo, Project Lead of Freedom Bridge regarding Arnon Nampa’s dedication as a human rights lawyer. “Despite having to walk barefoot in the cold courtrooms, being barred from wearing a lawyer’s gown, and being restrained by ankle shackles at all times, Arnon continues to perform his duties as a lawyer with determination, firmly believing that fighting with truth will lead to justice.”
In 2026, Arnon Nampa is also scheduled to attend witness examination hearings in two lèse-majesté before the Criminal Court, relating to the protests “#25NovemberProtest” and “#19SeptemberReclaimPowerForThePeople.” In addition, prosecutors have yet to determine whether to indict him in another Section 112 case arising from a public speech delivered in Chiang Mai Province.
Thailand’s lèse-majesté law, Section 112 of the Criminal Code, carries a sentence of three to 15 years per count. Since 2020, at least 291 people have been charged under the law.
The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention stated in October 2024 that Arnon’s detention is arbitrary and contrary to international law. The Working Group called for his immediate release, consistent withprevious statements from UN experts urging Thailand to review pending lèse-majesté cases, particularly those arising from the exercise of freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, in line with Thailand’s obligations under the ICCPR.
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