Thailand: Military files charges against 47 more of __�We Want to Vote Movement___
Event- Country
- Thailand
- Initial Date
- May 29, 2018
- Event Description
On 22 May 2018, at 07.30, the 15 human rights defenders who are part of the newly formed "We Want to Vote Movement' gathered as part of a group of about 300 people in total at the Thammasat University's Tha Phrachan Campus, having camped there over night, with the intention of marching to Government House in Bangkok to demand the end of military dictatorship that began with the coup in 2014 by the self-proclaimed National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), and elections within this year as previously promised by the head of the NCPO, General Prayuth Chan-ocha. They were blocked by rows of around 2000 police at the main entrance of the university. Police arrested ten of the human rights defenders at a checkpoint to block the march, near the UNESCAP building. They arrested the other five at Thammasat University. Under orders from an official of the NCPO, police on May 22 and 23 charged the 15 with sedition, violating the junta's ban on political gathering of five persons under the Head of the NCPO Order (No. 3/2558), the Public Assembly Act 2015, and the Road Traffic Act. They could yet be charged with additional offences. At the time they were held in police custody. On 24 May 2018, after detaining them for two nights the police took the 15 human rights defenders to Bangkok Criminal Court around noon. Police submitted a request to the court for 12 days of further pre-trial detention while TLHR lawyers representing 14 of the 15 submitted a motion to object to the police request. At 15.20, the Court dismissed the motion, but after TLHR lawyers were able to secure surety for the accused to obtain bail the court granted bail at 17.20. As a result, the 15 human rights defenders had to place a cash total of THB1.5 million (USD46,800) - THB100,000 per person. The court also imposed conditions that breach international human rights standards, namely, prohibiting the accused from organizing or participating in an assembly that might violate domestic law, which itself is inconsistent with Thailand's obligations as a State party to the ICCPR. The charges against the 15 human rights defenders include Section 116 of the Penal Code or "sedition', Section 215 (ten persons upwards being assembled together to do or threaten to do an act of violence, or to do anything to cause a breach of the peace), and Section 216 (refusing to disperse after being ordered so by competent official); as well as violations of the Head of the NCPO Order no. 3/2558, article 12 prohibiting a political gathering of five persons and more, violations of the Road Traffic Act, and violations of the Public Assembly Act 2015. If convicted of the offences brought against them as listed in the appendix, the accused face up to seven years in jail. [n 29 May 2018, Thai police issued summons to at least 47 more individuals to be charged in addition to 15 pro-democracy activists who were already charged by police on 22 and 23 May 2018.[1] This would be a total of at least 62 people who are facing legal actions in this case, for exercising their freedom of peaceful assembly to call for elections and democracy. The recent name list includes Ms. Neeranuch Neamsub, one of TLHR staff who was on duty to observe and monitor the assembly at Thammasat University and in front of the UN ESCAP building in Bangkok on 21-22 May 2018. According to the summons, the 47 individuals will have to report themselves to police for notification of violating a ban on political gatherings of more five persons or more without a permission of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) and other charges on 7 June 2018, at 9:30, at Nang Lerng Police Station in Bangkok. The details of accusations and all charges against them will be fully informed on that day.
- Impact of Event
- 47
- Gender of HRD
- Other (e.g. undefined, organisation, community)
- Violation
- Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of assembly
- Right to political participation
- Right to Protest
- HRD
- Pro-democracy defender
- Youth
- Perpetrator-State
- Government
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Active
- Summary for Publications
On 29 May 2018, 47 more individuals who participated in a pro-election rally on 22 May 2018, wre summoned to be charged or exercising their freedom of peaceful assembly to call for elections and democracy.