The
Observatory has been informed about the arbitrary detention and
ongoing judicial harassment of Mr Sopon
Surariddhidhamrong, aka Get,
leader of the student pro-democracy group Mok Luang Rim Nam,
and Ms Natthanit
Duangmusit, aka Baipor,
member of the pro-democracy and monarchy reform activist group Thalu
Wang. Founded in August 2020, Mok
Luang Rim Nam has expanded from advocating for the rights of students
at Navamindradhiraj University in Bangkok to various human rights issues in Thailand, including enforced
disappearance, labour
rights, and equality. Formed in early 2022, Thalu Wang has been advocating for the abolition of Article 112 of Thailand Criminal
Code (“lèse-majesté”) and conducting
public opinion polls at various locations in Bangkok on how the Thai
monarchy affects people’s lives and whether the institution should
be reformed.
On
January 9, 2023, the Bangkok Criminal Court revoked Sopon and
Natthanit’s bail and ordered their detention, on
the ground that the two violated the bail conditions of their
temporary release, granted on May 31, 2022, and August 4, 2022, respectively, by
participating in an anti-government protest
on November 17, 2022, during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
(APEC) Summit in Bangkok. Sopon’s
bail conditions stemmed from a “lèse-majesté” case in
which he is being prosecuted for allegedly giving a speech critical
of Thailand’s Queen on April 22,
2022. As for Natthanit, her bail conditions also stemmed from a
“lèse-majesté” case in connection with a Facebook post she
shared on March 30, 2022, concerning the budget allocated to the
monarchy as well as to public opinion polls she conducted in Bangkok.
These surveys questioned the appropriateness of the government
allegedly allowing Thailand’s King to exercise his powers at his
discretion.
On
the same day of their bail revocation, Sopon
and Natthanit’s lawyer submitted a bail
request, which was rejected by the Court, arguing
that both had already broken their previous bail conditions by
participating in the November 17, 2022 protest and were likely to
cause other danger or commit again acts similar to
the
ones of which they were accused.
Upon the Court’s decision, Sopon was taken to the Bangkok Remand
Prison, and Natthanit was taken to the Women’s Correctional
Institution in Bangkok to be held in pre-trial detention.
The
first bail revocation hearing on December 15, 2022, was initiated by
a court staff who submitted a report to a judge alleging that
Natthanit may have violated her bail conditions by participating in
the protest. Sopon was later added to the bail revocation hearing.
The
Observatory recalls that Sopon
and Natthanit face charges for alleged violations of Article 112 in
connection with their pro-democracy and human rights activities. Sopon is currently facing “lèse-majesté” charges stemming
from three separate cases: 1) a speech he made in Bangkok on April
6, 2022, which was deemed critical of the King; 2) the
above-referenced speech he made at a protest in Bangkok on April 22,
2022; and 3) a speech he made on the occasion of International
Workers’ Day on May 1, 2022, in Bangkok, which was deemed critical
of the King. Sopon was detained for 30 days from May 2 to May 31,
2022, at the Bangkok Remand Prison, before being released on bail.
Natthanit,
in turn, is currently facing charges under Article 112 in connection
with three cases: 1) conducting a public opinion poll about royal
motorcades at Siam Paragon in central Bangkok on February 8, 2022; 2)
the above-referenced case related to the sharing of a post on
Facebook about the budget allocated to the Thai monarchy on March 30,
2022; and 3) conducting public opinion polls on April 18, 2022,
at different locations in Bangkok questioning
the appropriateness of the government
allegedly allowing the King to exercise his powers at his
discretion.
Natthanit was detained in connection with the February 8 event for 94
days between May 3 and August 4, 2022, at the Central Women’s
Correctional Institution in Bangkok, before being released on bail.
While
in detention, Sopon and Natthanit went on a hunger strike to protest
their pre-trial detention and to demand their right to bail. They
were granted temporary release on the conditions that they would
refrain from repeating their offences,
participating in demonstrations that cause public disorder, and
engaging in activities that
may damage the monarchy.
The
Observatory expresses its deepest concern about the arbitrary
detention and judicial harassment of Sopon and Natthanit, who seem to
be only targeted for the legitimate exercise of their rights to freedom of expression and
freedom of peaceful assembly. Furthermore,
Tantawan
Tuatulanon
- a human rights defender who is currently being prosecuted for
delivering a speech allegedly critical of the King via Facebook live
on March 5, 2022 - is scheduled to attend a bail revocation hearing
on March 1, 2023, where the Court will consider whether her
participation in the November 17,
2022, APEC protest violated any of her bail conditions.
The
Observatory notes that between November 24, 2020, and January 11,
2023, 226 people, including many human rights defenders and 17
minors, were charged under Article 112 of the Criminal Code. Five of
them are currently held in detention pending trial.
The
Observatory calls on the Thai authorities to immediately and
unconditionally release Sopon Surariddhidhamrong, Natthanit
Duangmusit,
and all
other human rights defenders in the country, and to put an end to
all acts of harassment, including
at the judicial level, against them.
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