Political prosecution continued at the end of 2023, where, despite few new lawsuits, witness and verdict hearings have taken place routinely for the existing cases filed between 2020 and 2022. The courts have passed judgments in at least 12 lèse-majesté cases, resulting in dismissals as well as guilty rulings, whereas all nine Emergency Decree and […]
In November, political prosecution continued, including the filing of at least four new lese-majeste cases. Meanwhile, various courts have passed verdicts in lese-majeste cases week after week, driving the number of people detained during and after trials up by at least 20. As for the situation regarding sedition charges under Section 116, the courts have […]
The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (Working Group), a special mechanism under the UN Human Rights Council, has published its opinion on 23 October 2023 (A/HRC/WGAD/2023/49) regarding the case of “ Tawan” Tantawan Tuatulanon, a 21-year-old student and activist who was prosecuted under Section 112 for defamation of the King. The Working Group […]
The month of October resulted in one of the highest number of verdicts in one month, 16 in total, coming from both the Court of First Instance and Court of Appeals in lese-majeste cases. Meanwhile, three more people prosecuted for political reasons have ended up in detention. In Chiang Mai, a military officer accused activists […]
(Data as of 3 October 2023.) In September, we witnessed an increase in the number of people detained in lèse-majesté cases due to their political expression, even though their cases have not concluded. In the course of one month, the Court of First Instance has passed verdicts in 4 cases and the Court of Appeals […]
[Information as of 5 August 2023.] In light of the problematic formation of the new government, citizens have gathered to call upon the Senate, political parties, and independent organizations to respect their voices. As such, it became imperative to monitor how the laws would be used in response to these activities. In July 2023, the […]
In June, while only few new politically-motivated lawsuits emerged, the trials of many existing ones proceeded in full swing. The courts have issued verdicts for at least 12 lese-majeste cases within a course of merely one month acquitting, convicting (imprisonment), or suspending the punishment of the defendants. As a result, two more people in these […]
Along with the scorching heat of April, the political temperature in Thailand has been rising steadily as the general election approaches. Meanwhile, the political lawsuits continue their courses. At least five more people have been charged with lèse-majesté last month while the Public Assembly Act and Section 116 are still used to accuse politicians and […]
Two months into the new year as Thailand is gearing towards a general election, over a hundred cases related to political expression and assemblies are still set to go to trial. In the past month, at least six new lèse-majesté cases have been reportedly initiated, while six cases related to the protests in 2020 – […]
On 9 March 2023, the Criminal Court denied Pimsiri Petchnamrob’s request to appeal its previous decision to not grant Pimsiri permission to leave Thailand in order to attend meetings at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, later this month. As part of her bail condition in a lèse-majesté case, Pimsiri is prohibited […]
On 7 March 2023, the Taling Chan Criminal Court convicted “Tonmai” (alias)—a 26-year-old lawyer in a private company—under Section 112 (lèse-majesté) of the Criminal Code and sentenced him to 3 years in prison for mocking and defaming the King by delivering calendars with cartoons of a yellow duck to the buyers. His sentence was decreased […]
According to TLHR, as of 20 February 2023, at least 3 people were detained for their political expressions or for politically motivated reasons. Eleven political detainees from 2022 spent the passing of the year in jail. Four of them requested bail at least 18 times, whereas 3 were detained during trial for more than 300 […]
