NEW YORK (July 21, 2026) – The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) and Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR) have secured a legal victory after the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) declared the arrest and detention of Thai pro-democracy activist, Sopon “Get” Surariddhidhamrong, to be arbitrary and in violation of international law. HRF and TLHR submitted a petition on his behalf to the WGAD in November 2024.
Surariddhidhamrong is a member of “Moke Luang Rim Nam,” a student pro-democracy group that advocates for monarchical reform and an end to the persecution of activists under Thailand’s infamous lèse-majesté law, which is one of the strictest in the world. He was arrested in May 2022 under that very law, provided for under Section 112 of the Criminal Code, following three peaceful public speeches at pro-democracy protests, where he spoke out against the abuses of the Thai monarchy.
Following his arrest, regime-stacked courts handed Surariddhidhamrong three separate convictions on the basis of the lèse-majesté law. Most recently, in September 2025, he received a fourth conviction under Section 112 for reading a protest statement during the 2022 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in Bangkok, bringing his total prison sentence to ten years. As of July 2026, he remains detained at the Bangkok Remand Prison.
In its opinion, the WGAD found that the Thai regime had no legal basis for his imprisonment, emphasizing that Surariddhidhamrong was detained based on vague and broadly worded legislation. The WGAD reaffirmed its strong stance against Section 112, which enables regime officials to criminalize any form of expression at their discretion.
The WGAD further determined that Surariddhidhamrong’s trials were tainted by procedural irregularities amounting to due process violations. Indeed, his legal proceedings were plagued by repeated bail denials, unjustified pretrial detention, and hearings during which judges refused to record defense testimony while accepting the prosecution’s evidence, all while preventing the activist from meaningfully and fully participating in his own defense.
The violations in Sopon’s trial are symptomatic of the treatment Thailand’s regime reserves for political dissidents. The Working Group explicitly recognized the political nature of the case against him and found that his prosecution failed to meet basic fair trial standards, said HRF Chief Advocacy Officer Roberto González. In Thailand, peaceful calls for reform are met with prosecution and imprisonment. Section 112 has become one of the regime’s most powerful tools for silencing pro-democracy voices, and it must be repealed or fundamentally reformed.
Sopon’s case is yet another reminder that Thailand is choosing to imprison the future generation asking for a freer, more democratic country,” said TLHR Assistant Director and Advocacy Lead Akarachai Chaimaneekarakate. This is an indictment of a government that pledged to uphold human rights before taking its seat on the UN Human Rights Council. The hypocrisy is deafening, but so too is the courage of young people like Sopon, who continue to show that the demand for freedom, dignity, and democracy cannot be silenced by prison walls.
I hope the injustice you have witnessed in my case will stand as a testament to the Thai state’s systematic abuse of power, said Surariddhidhamrong. If any citizen dares to challenge those in power, the Thai state silences them and sows fear by weaponizing the justice system, all while claiming to act in the name of national security.
HRF and TLHR urge the Thai regime to comply with the WGAD opinion and immediately release Surariddhidhamrong, accord him an enforceable right to compensation, and conduct an independent investigation into his arbitrary deprivation of liberty.
HRF’s Impact Litigation Program is made possible through the generous support of the John Templeton Foundation and the Rising Tide Foundation.
The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) is a nonpartisan nonprofit organization that promotes and protects human rights globally, with a focus on closed societies.
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