The United Nations human rights office yesterday voiced disappointment at last Friday’s decision of the Appeals Court in Thailand to uphold the 11-year imprisonment conviction of rights activist Somyot Pruksakasemsuk, the editor of Voice of Thaksin magazine, on lese majeste
in General | September 24, 2014
The United Nations human rights office yesterday voiced disappointment at last Friday’s decision of the Appeals Court in Thailand to uphold the 11-year imprisonment conviction of rights activist Somyot Pruksakasemsuk, the editor of Voice of Thaksin magazine, on lese majeste.
The magazine published two articles considered inflammatory to the monarchy.
According to the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the authorities reportedly did not inform Somyot’s lawyer or his family of the date of the appeal verdict, thereby preventing them from attending the court.
In 2013, the High Commissioner publicly expressed deep concerns about Somyot’s conviction and extremely harsh sentencing, saying his case represented a setback for the protection and promotion of human rights in Thailand.
Also, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has concluded that Somyot’s detention is arbitrary and called on the Thai government to release him.
Last month, OHCHR had voiced serious concern over the prosecution and harsh sentencing of individuals in Thailand under the lèse majesté law, noting that such measures are adding to the “larger pattern of increasing restrictions on freedom of expression in Thailand.”
Since the coup d’état on 22 May, according to information available to OHCHR, the number of people in custody on the charge has risen from 6 to 22, with another eight people facing charges but not currently in custody.
“We reiterate our call to the military Government to restore space for free expression and public dialogue, in line with Thailand’s international human rights obligations,” OHCHR spokesperson Rupert Colville told reporters in Geneva Tuesday.