A Thai police officer has accused a board member of Amnesty International Thailand (AI Thailand) of sedition for showing support for the 14 embattled anti-junta activists. Baramee Chairat, a recently re-elected member of the board of AI Thailand and a coordinator of the Assembly of the Poor (AOF), told Prachatai that on Monday, 6 July 2015, he received a summons from Samranrat Police Station in Bangkok. The summons was issued on Friday, 3 July 2015, and was sent to Baramee via post. It stipulates that he must report to Samranrat Police Station in person on Friday, 10 July 2015, at 9 am. According to the summons, Lt Col Phongsarit Pawangkhanan accused Baramee of offenses under Article 116 of Thailand's Criminal Code, the law on sedition. Article 116 of the Criminal Code states that whoever makes apparent to the public by words, writing or any other means anything which is not an act within the purpose of the constitution or which is not the expression of an honest opinion or criticism (a) in order to bring about a change in the laws or the government by the use of coercion or violence, (b) in order to raise confusion or disaffection amongst the people to the point of causing unrest in the kingdom, or (c) have people violate the law, shall be punished with imprisonment not exceeding seven years. The AI Thailand board member called the summons harassment and intimidation. He said that the authorities probably summoned him because he has been supporting the 14 anti-junta activists. "I didn't do anything wrong. I only exercised my basic rights," said Baramee. "I think they[the Thai junta] have no legitimacy and their actions have no justification. There are violations of freedom and basic human rights; that's why I have to come out." He reported that on 25 June he was with the 14 embattled anti-junta activists to show his support as some of them are members of AI Thailand. However, he did not meet the activists as a representative of AI Thailand. He mentioned that other people also paid a visit to the 14 activists prior to their arrest on 26 June 2015. However, he has not heard of others being summoned under the same allegation. "The use of the law to prosecute people like this is a gross violation of human rights," Baramee added. "People should come out to stand for their right to freedom of expression." On Tuesday morning, 7 July 2015, the military court rejected a custody petition against the 14 anti-junta activists and released them without condition. However, the 14 will still be put on trial for allegedly inciting conflict and defying the junta's National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO)'s ban on gatherings, Article 12 under Order No. 3/2015, which prohibits any political activity of five or more persons. The 14 are also accused of violating Article 116 for holding peaceful gatherings in Bangkok and the northeastern province of Khon Kaen to commemorate the 2014 coup d'_tat on 22 June 2015. UPDATE: 05/ 08/ 2015 Human rights defender denies sedition charge A human rights defender charged with sedition for supporting the 14 anti-junta activists has denied the charges while a large crowd of supporters demanded that the authorities drop the charges against him. Baramee Chairat, a recently re-elected member of the board of Amnesty International Thailand (AI Thailand) and a coordinator of the Assembly of the Poor (AOP), on Wednesday morning, 5 August 2015, went to Samranrat Police Station for interrogation. In early July, the police issued a summons to Baramee for interrogation after Lt Col Phongsarit Pawangkhanan accused him of offences under Article 116 of Thailand's Criminal Code, the law on sedition, for visiting the 14 anti-junta student activists prior to their arrest on 26 June 2015. The summons initially summoned him to Samranrat Police Station on 10 July, but it was postponed until today. According to Poonsuk Poonsukcharoen, Baramee's defence lawyer from Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR), the human rights defender denied all charges during the interrogation, which lasted from 10 to 11:20 am. The police did not submit a custody petition to detain Baramee and released him after the interrogation. His lawyer will compile additional testimony from Baramee for the police within 10 days. About 50 people, some whom are members of AOP, came to give Baramee moral support at the police station. The AOP members also read out a statement demanding that the authorities drop all charges against Baramee. Rangsiman Rome and Chonticha Jangrew, two well-known activists who are among the 14 anti-junta activists recently released, were among the crowd who came to support him. Before the interrogation, Baramee said to the crowd, "I think the government is illegitimate and this sort of measure is illogical. It is a violation of basic human rights and freedoms, which I have to protest against." Baramee's supporters also held a blessing ceremony for him at the police station. Pol Lt Pipat Boonphet, the Director of Samranrat Police Station also joined the ceremony. Article 116 of the Criminal Code states that whoever makes apparent to the public by words, writing or any other means anything which is not an act within the purpose of the constitution or which is not the expression of an honest opinion or criticism (a) in order to bring about a change in the laws or the government by the use of coercion or violence, (b) in order to raise confusion or disaffection amongst the people to the point of causing unrest in the kingdom, or (c) have people violate the law, shall be punished with imprisonment not exceeding seven years.