By International Federation for Human Rights |
<div>All individuals interviewed and organisations met by FIDH unanimously converge to consider that the lèse-majesté crime is being used by the current government against political opponents in a much more systematic way than used to be the case in the past. Protecting the image of the King serves today as a pretext to stife political dissents. Furthermore, FIDH fears that lèse-majesté may have a broader chilling effect on intellectuals, academics and civil society actors at large. </div>
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By Pravit Rojanaphruk, The Nation |
<p>A defence lawyer for alleged lese majeste offender Daranee Charncherngsilpakul expressed concern yesterday that his client may suffer a negative outcome because she faces a closed-door trial.</p>
<p>On June 25, Daranee Charncherngsilapakul’s lawyer requested the Court to seek a Constitutional Court ruling on whether the Court’s decision to hold the trial in secret is constitutional or not, and temporarily suspend the trial until the Constitutional Court gives its ruling.</p>
By Reuters |
<p>Rights group Amnesty International urged Thailand on Friday to open the trial of a political campaigner charged with insulting the monarchy after it was closed for reasons of "national security."</p>
By Darren Schuettler, Reuters |
<p>A Thai judge citing reasons of national security closed the trial on Tuesday of a "red shirt" supporter of former premier Thaksin Shinawatra charged with insulting the monarchy.</p>
<p>Daranee Charncherngsilpakul, aka ‘Da Torpedo’, who has been accused of lèse majesté and held in prison without bail since 22 July 2008, will face her first trial in court on June 23, and trials in her other two cases in which she is accused of leading protesters to surround ASTV and insulting coup leader Gen Saprang Kalayanamitr will follow.</p>
<p>Prachatai talked to her lawyer Prawase Praphanukul who agreed to take the case despite their different political stance.</p>