THAILAND Thai activist dies in prison during hunger strike against lese majeste law

Netiporn “Boong” Sanesangkhom, 28, died at the hospital where she had been admitted due to worsening conditions. She had become a symbol for international NGOs and her name was present in Western governments’ reports regarding abuses. Almost 2,000 people persecuted for crimes of opinion, hundreds of them at risk of being sentenced to harsh prison terms.

Bangkok () – Three months after beginning the protest fast in prison, Netiporn “Boong” Sanesangkhom, 28, one of the leaders of the protest movements against detention for political or conscientious reasons and indefinite detention awaiting trial, died this morning at Thammasat University Hospital. Netiporn, known for her involvement in the Thalu Wang protest movement and initiatives to protect prisoners’ rights and civil liberties, had been “adopted” as a prisoner of conscience by several international organizations, including Amnesty International. Her name had appeared in several reports about Thailand, a country that has long been “under observation” by the United States and Europe.

Her hunger and thirst strike began in the central women’s prison in the Thai capital, where she was locked up on January 26 when her bail was revoked on charges of lese majeste. That accusation was related to her participation in a survey that was carried out in February 2022 on the car caravans of members of the monarchy that often cross the capital and disrupt traffic circulation.

Inflexible in her refusal of food and liquids, last February the activist was transferred first to a prison hospital and then to the Thammasat University Hospital, before being returned to her cell where, according to the prison administration, she would have returned to eating normally. . Groups following her case, including Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, reported that Netiporn had returned to the prison hospital in early April and that her health had rapidly deteriorated. This morning she was hospitalized after a heart attack, but she died at 11:22 local time (6:22 in Italy).

Expressions of solidarity and condolences immediately began from activists who shared the cause – such as civil commitment comrades Natthanon “Frank” Chaimahabud and Tantawan “Tawan” Tuatulanon – and the experience of the protest fast, but also from opposition politicians and representatives of civil society.

His story has kept a high level of attention on a law, that of “Lese majeste”, which has long been criticized because, rather than protecting the dignity of the royal family, it is used to persecute those who do not agree. agree with the military and other forces of power’s claims to control the country or ask for greater space for criticism and debate. According to a recent report by Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, since protests by youth movements began calling for more freedom and justice, 1,954 people have been legally prosecuted for political reasons, and of them, at least 272 are at risk of harsh punishment. prison sentences based on Article 12 of the Penal Code – what is known as the Lèse Majestad Law – and 153 for sedition charges under Article 16 of the Code. The tragic end of Netiporn “Boong” Sanesangkhom also highlights the excessive detention time to which many are subjected before going to trial, especially in political cases, and the arbitrariness with which bail is decided.