Thai authorities must immediately release and drop lese majesty charges against two pro-democracy activists who have been on hunger strike for more than a month, the non-governmental organization (NGO) Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Tuesday. .
In a statement, HRW said that Neticorn “Bung” Sanesangkhom and Nutthanit “Bai Por” Duangmusit have been on a hunger strike since June 2. in protest at the preventive detention to which they are subjectin a prison in the Thai capital.
The organization has argued that the two activists, who collapsed during a court hearing in Bangkok on Monday due to severe stomach pains and fatigue, should be transferred immediately to a hospital where they can receive proper medical attention.
“Thai authorities should drop the politically motivated cases against Neticorn, Nutthanit and others accused of peaceful protests to reform the monarchy,” said John Sifton, Asia director for HRW.
“The Thai government is severely punishing these activistsneedlessly holding them in prolonged pre-trial detention instead of releasing them before trial,” Sifton added.
The authorities have accused the two activists of various crimes, including lese majesty (insults against the monarchy), for having launched a public opinion poll on February 8 about the royal entourage.
Neticorn, 26, and Nutthanit, 20, members of the pro-democracy group Thalu Wang, have been in preventive detention since May 3, a prison that has been prolonged successively.
Since November 2020, Thai authorities have charged more than 200 people with lese majesty, a crime punishable by up to 15 years in prison in Thailand, HRW said.
“The Thai government must allow the peaceful expression of all views, including questions about the monarchy,” Sifton said.
“The Thai authorities must dialogue with United Nations experts and others to amend lese majesty lawmaking it compatible with international human rights standards,” he added.
On Monday, cybersecurity research groups Citizen Lab and iLaw announced that they had discovered that the cellphones and other devices of activists involved in pro-democracy protests in Thailand were infected and targeted by Pegasus spyware, possibly used by the Thai government.
The people whose devices were attacked were involved in the pro-democracy protests that took place between 2020 and 2021 or publicly criticized the Thai monarchy.
The two groups said that the lawyers who defended the activists were also under digital surveillance.
Source: Observadora
