On 18 September 2014, Thailand’s Court of Appeals upheld the sentence handed down by the Bangkok Criminal Court in the trial of human rights defender Mr Somyot Prueksakasemsuk.
On 18 September 2014, Thailand’s Court of Appeals upheld the sentence handed down by the Bangkok Criminal Court in the trial of human rights defender Mr Somyot Prueksakasemsuk.
The human rights defender was convicted on 23 January 2013 for violating the lèse-majesté law and sentenced to ten years’ imprisonment. The Court of Appeal had not informed the human rights defender, nor his lawyer or his family members, that the hearing was scheduled for 18 September.
Somyot Prueksakasemsuk was Editor of the magazine “Voice of Thaksin” (Voice of the Oppressed) and a prominent labour rights activist affiliated with the Democratic Alliance of Trade Unions.
Somyot Prueksakasemsuk was arrested on 30 April 2011 and subsequently charged under Article 112 of Thailand’s Criminal Code for allowing, in his role as editor, the publication of two satirical articles (written by an anonymous author) in “Voice of Thaksin”. These articles were considered by authorities to insult the monarchy and, according to the Thailand’s Criminal Code, any person who defames, insults or threatens the King, the Queen, the Heir to the throne or the Regent may face up to 15 years of imprisonment.
On 23 January 2013, Bangkok Criminal Court found Somyot Prueksakasemsuk guilty of Lèse-majesté ruling that two publications in his magazine insulted the monarchy. On 1 April 2013, the human rights defender appealed the ruling. Since then, the court has rejected fifteen petitions to release the human rights defenders on bail.
The family of imprisoned human rights defender was also targeted by authorities. On 25 May 2014, the Thai military carried out a search in Somyot Prueksakasemsuk’s house and arrested his wife and son. They were held incommunicado without access to a lawyer and the authorities did not provide them with any reasons for their arrest. They were released without charges on the following day, but were warned not to give interviews, make political comments, or take part in any political activities.
Front Line Defenders is concerned at this decision of the Court of Appeals to uphold Somyot Prueksakasemsuk’s ten-year prison sentence. Front Line Defenders also expresses concern about the harassment of the human rights defender’s family.
To find out more about the case of Somyot Prueksakasemsuk, please visit his page on the Front Line Defenders website.