<p>The Network of People Who Own Mineral Resources issued a statement on Monday (30 March), raising concerns about the restriction to people&#39;s rights and freedom under the Emergency Decree, which limits freedom of assembly, reduce the people&#39;s participation, and close off complaint mechanism, resulting in the&nbsp;inability to exercise their rights according to the constitution and related bills to oppose the mineral projects.</p>

<p>The Thai government should ensure that the Emergency Decree on Public Administration in Emergency Situation (2005) to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic does not impose unwarranted restrictions on human rights, Amnesty International said today.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.article19.org/resources/thailand-emergency-measures-threaten-human-rights/">ARTICLE 19</a> and <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/03/25/thailand-covid-19-clampdown-free-speech">Human Rights Watch (HRW)</a> have issued statements following the announcement of <a href="https://prachatai.com/english/node/8429">emergency measures</a> by the Thai government yesterday (26 March), raising concern over how these measures may threaten freedom of expression and access to information.</p>

<p>Student demonstrations have broken out in universities across the country since the dissolution of the Future Forward Party last Friday (21 February), as students speak out against the government both online and offline.</p>

<p>On 24 February, Students at the Faculty of Arts, Chulalongkorn University gathered in front of the faculty building around a wreath with a sign saying &quot;RIP Democracy,&quot; and writing messages to the government, such as &quot;respect our vote&quot; and &quot;I was betrayed by the system.&quot;</p>

<p>A Twitter user who was arrested last week under computer crime charges for posting about the monarchy has been denied bail twice on the ground that he might flee, <a href="https://twitter.com/TLHR2014/status/1231798694909030410?fbclid=IwAR2egZDptmiI3FAsosgt8zeHEA-YaLcnYd_9wY99EGPdJ3AzFZ8PN4xLY7k">Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR)</a> reported.</p>

<p>Following the <a href="https://prachatai.com/english/node/8375">dissolution</a> of the Future Forward Party (FFP) on Friday (21 February), several human rights organizations, along with the European Union External Action Service (EEAS) and the Embassy of the United States in Thailand, have spoken out against the Constitutional Court&rsquo;s decision to dissolve the popular opposition party, a decision which has been seen as damaging to the country&rsquo;s return to democracy and as disenfranchising a large number of voters.</p>

<p>The Constitutional Court of Thailand ruled to dissolve the Future Forward Party on the grounds that the party has broken Article 72 of the 2017 Organic Law on Political Parties by taking a loan from its leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit. The Court also banned its leaders for ten years.</p>

<p>On 4 February, Protection International (PI) launched the &ldquo;Art for Resistance: Quilt of Women Human Rights Defenders&rdquo; exhibition of 54 quilts by 52 women and 2 men human rights defenders from all over Thailand, at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC).</p>

<p>Amnesty International calls on the Thai authorities to stop instrumentalizing the legal process to intimidate and harass the leaders and members of the Future Forward party, as the country&rsquo;s Constitutional Court prepares to deliver a judgment on 21 January 2020 on a judicial case that could see the party banned and its leaders prosecuted. The spate of prosecutions targeting the party appear to be in clear retaliation for activities of the party that fall within the exercise of the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.</p>