NEW YORK (Nov. 27, 2024) — In early November, the Human Rights Foundation (HRF) and Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR) submitted a joint petition to the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (UNWGAD) on behalf of Thai pro-democracy activist Sopon “Get” Surariddhidhamrong, who is serving a total prison term of eight years and six months for criticizing the Thai monarchy.
Surariddhidhamrong is a member of the Mok Luang Rim Nam, a student pro-democracy group in Thailand. The group advocates for an end to the persecution of activists under the country’s infamous lèse-majesté law, which criminalizes criticism of the royal family. It also works to raise awareness about broader human rights issues in Thailand.
Surariddhidhamrong was arrested in May 2022 and charged under the lèse-majesté law — Section 112 of the Criminal Code — after criticizing the Thai monarchy in his speech at a pro-democracy protest. The courts repeatedly denied him bail without examining his personal circumstances and the necessity and proportionality of the pretrial detention. At times, he was not allowed to attend the hearings at all. In August 2023, after a trial in which the Ratchada Criminal Court ignored parts of his defense, he was sentenced to three years for royal defamation and six months for using a sound amplifier without permission. The latter offense does not even carry a prison sentence under Thai law.
In May 2022, Surariddhidhamrong faced additional charges under the same laws for a speech he gave on Chakri Memorial Day in April 2022, in which he challenged the regime’s historical narratives. In December 2023, the Thonburi Criminal Court sentenced him to three more years in prison and imposed a fine. In October 2024, he received an additional two-year sentence under Section 112 for criticizing the unequal distribution of COVID-19 vaccines during an International Labor Day protest on May 1, 2022.
“Surariddhidhamrong is being detained for exercising his freedom of opinion and expression,” HRF Senior Legal Associate Venla Stang said. “Section 112 of the Thai Criminal Code explicitly violates international human rights law, as unanimously held by multiple UN bodies and the international community. It is overly broad, allowing the regime to criminalize any criticism of the monarchy and discriminate against those who advocate for reforming the monarch system.”
Surariddhidhamrong is serving sentence at the Bangkok Remand Prison.
“Surariddhidhamrong is an emblematic example of the more than 270 individuals who have been prosecuted under the lèse-majesté law in Thailand between July 2020 and November 2024. In light of its recent election to the UN Human Rights Council, Thailand should live up to its promise to uphold international human rights law and bring its laws into line with international standards. A truly democratic government would not make its citizens pay for peacefully expressing their political opinions with their freedom,” TLHR Advocacy Lead Akarachai Chaimaankarakate said.
HRF and TLHR call on the UNWGAD to examine Surariddhidhamrong’s case, determine that his detention is arbitrary and violates international law, and urge Thailand to release him immediately.
Supported by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation.
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