Thailand: prominent pro-democracy WHRD indicted on royal defamation charge
Event- Country
- Thailand
- Initial Date
- Sep 30, 2021
- Event Description
Student activist Patsaravalee Tanakitvibulpon has been indicted on a royal defamation charge related to a speech she gave at a protest on 24 March 2021, in which she said that the monarchy must reform itself in order to survive.
Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR) said on Thursday (30 September) that the public prosecutor at the Southern Bangkok Department of Criminal Litigation has decided to indict Patsaravalee for royal defamation under Section 112 of the Thai Criminal Code, or the lèse majesté law, and a violation of the Emergency Decree charge resulting from her participation in the 24 March 2021 protest at the Ratchaprasong Intersection.
During the protest, Patsaravalee gave a speech calling for the King to conduct himself in a manner that befits the head of the state. She also said that the King’s expansion of power will endanger the institution of the monarchy, and that even though an absolute monarchy can be created, it can also fall in the next reign.
She made 3 demands to develop the institution of the monarchy: having a single, inseparable armed force, ending intervention in any political groups by the monarchy, and quickly returning public assets which have been transferred to the King’s personal ownership.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Woman
- Violation
- Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of assembly
- Offline
- Right to Protest
- HRD
- Pro-democracy defender
- Student
- WHRD
- Perpetrator-State
- Judiciary
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Event Location
Latitude: 13.47345343593104
Longitude: 100.55218672870512
- Event Location
- Summary for Publications
On 30 September 2021, Patsaravalee Tanakitvibulpon, pro-democracy student and WHRD, was indicted on royal defamation charges in relation to a speech she delivered during a demonstration in March, by a prosecutor in Bangkok, Thailand.