By International Federation for Human Rights |
<p>Paris, 2 July 2009 : The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) expresses its deepest concern regarding the increased use of lèse majesté law in Thailand. The Organization already drew the attention of the Thai authorities to restrictions to the right to freedom of expression and to the political implications of the abusive use of the legislation on lèse majesté.</p>
By International Federation for Human Rights |
<div>All individuals interviewed and organisations met by FIDH unanimously converge to consider that the lèse-majesté crime is being used by the current government against political opponents in a much more systematic way than used to be the case in the past. Protecting the image of the King serves today as a pretext to stife political dissents. Furthermore, FIDH fears that lèse-majesté may have a broader chilling effect on intellectuals, academics and civil society actors at large. </div>
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By Pravit Rojanaphruk, The Nation |
<p>For the first time in its five-decade history, the whole board of the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand (FCCT) has been accused of committing lese majeste, a crime with a maximum jail sentence of 15 years.</p>
By Pravit Rojanaphruk, The Nation |
<p>A defence lawyer for alleged lese majeste offender Daranee Charncherngsilpakul expressed concern yesterday that his client may suffer a negative outcome because she faces a closed-door trial.</p>
<p>On June 26, the Office of the Attorney-General again postponed a decision on whether to prosecute Chiranuch Premchaiporn who has been charged for allowing comments offensive to the monarchy to be posted on the Prachatai webboard.</p>
<p>The prosecution has ordered the police to conduct further investigations and told Chiranuch to report again on July 29.</p>
<p>On June 25, Daranee Charncherngsilapakul’s lawyer requested the Court to seek a Constitutional Court ruling on whether the Court’s decision to hold the trial in secret is constitutional or not, and temporarily suspend the trial until the Constitutional Court gives its ruling.</p>
By Reuters |
<p>Rights group Amnesty International urged Thailand on Friday to open the trial of a political campaigner charged with insulting the monarchy after it was closed for reasons of "national security."</p>
By Darren Schuettler, Reuters |
<p>A Thai judge citing reasons of national security closed the trial on Tuesday of a "red shirt" supporter of former premier Thaksin Shinawatra charged with insulting the monarchy.</p>
<p>Daranee Charncherngsilpakul, aka ‘Da Torpedo’, who has been accused of lèse majesté and held in prison without bail since 22 July 2008, will face her first trial in court on June 23, and trials in her other two cases in which she is accused of leading protesters to surround ASTV and insulting coup leader Gen Saprang Kalayanamitr will follow.</p>
<p>Prachatai talked to her lawyer Prawase Praphanukul who agreed to take the case despite their different political stance.</p>
<p>On May 21, INN News reported that according to Pol Col Sompoch Sonkanok, superintendent at Mae Rim Police Station in Chiang Mai, local police have issued an arrest warrant for Kokaew Pikulthong, a red-shirt leader, charging him with lèse majesté offence for his speech to the red-shirt rally on March 22 at Chiang Mai’s 700<sup>th</sup> year Stadium.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Pol Col Sompoch said that police were also investigating whether what Thaksin Shinnawatra had said in his phone-in during the same rally constituted the same offence or not.</p>
<p>According to Anont Nampa, lawyer for lèse majesté convict Suwicha Thakor, the public prosecutor has asked the Court to extend the period for filing an appeal that should have ended on May 3, to June 1. In effect, the case is not finished, and Suwicha’s family cannot start the process of seeking a royal pardon.</p>
<p>‘And if the prosecutor files an appeal during this time, the case will drag on,’ said Anont.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" />
"Times New Roman";color:black;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">‘Please help me!<span> </span>I’ve no one to turn to,’ Thitima Thakor panicked over the phone in the morning of May 12.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" />
"Times New Roman";color:black;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">‘What’s happened?’</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" />
"Times New Roman";color:black;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">‘Five days ago, Nui (Suwicha’s nickname) was transferred to Zone 7.<span> </span>The other inmates forced him to be tattooed.<span> </span>There are 37 people in his cell.<span> </span>Nui was scared.<span> </span>He didn’t yield.<span> </span>He told me if he was tattooed, he would kill himself,’ Thitima anxiously spoke of the latest situation for her husband, Suwicha Thakor, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison for posting </span><span lang="EN-GB" />
"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:#333333;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">lèse majesté</span><span lang="EN-GB"> </span><span lang="EN-GB" />
"Times New Roman";color:black;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">content on the internet.</span></p>