The two citizens carried out a public opinion survey on the royal processions and parades
21 Jan. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW) has asked the Thai government to release two activists, Orawan Phuphong and Tantawan Tuatulanon, detained for criticizing the monarchy and who now face a long sentence.
“The Thai government must drop the unfair cases against Orawan, Tantawan and others accused for their peaceful protests demanding reforms of the monarchy,” said HRW Asia director Elaine Pearson.
“Keeping these activists in pretrial detention for the peaceful exercise of their rights is punitive and cruel,” he added.
Orawan Phuphong and Tantawan Tuatulanon were arrested on 16 January after appearing in court to voluntarily revoke their own bail with the intention of returning to the Central Women’s Correctional Center (CWCI) and going on hunger strike. The two citizens demanded the release of all women detained for political reasons as well as the adoption of legal reforms on the laws of lèse majesté and sedition.
On January 18, they began a hunger strike in the aforementioned prison in the Thai capital of Bangkok for what they considered an illegal preventive detention due to their political position before the monarchy. This Friday the two citizens were transferred to a hospital center after fainting in the correctional facility.
Thai authorities have charged the activists with various criminal offences, including lèse majesté, after they conducted a public opinion poll on the royal parades and processions.
According to the organization, article 112 of the Thai Penal Code punishes the crime of lese majesty with up to 15 years in prison.
HRW has also highlighted the increase in arrests for this same crime in the last year, after a three-year hiatus in which these cases were not brought to court. However, in November 2020, the Prime Minister of Thailand, Prayuth Chan Ocha, ordered the lèse majeste proceedings to resume, apparently due to increased positions critical of the country’s monarchy.
According to data from the organization, since then more than 200 people have been accused of this crime and in relation to their participation in pro-democracy rallies or messages on social networks.