<p>Ravina Shamdasani, the spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, issued a <a href="https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=26621&amp;LangID=E">statement</a> today (18 December) raising concerns over the Thai authorities charging protesters with charges under Section 112 of the Thai Criminal Code, Thailand&#39;s lèse majesté law.</p>

<p>Two students facing charges under the lèse majesté law for participating in a &ldquo;fashion show&rdquo; during a pro-democracy protest on Silom Road went to hear the charges yesterday (17 December), while members of the We Volunteer protest guard group and other protesters gathered outside the police station in Thai traditional dress to show support.</p>

<p>The number of people involved in recent protests who have been charged under Section 112 continues to rise as 31 people have now been summoned, one of whom is 16 years old. Meanwhile, the public prosecutor in Nakhon Phanom has issued a prosecution order in the case of a man accused of royal defamation for a Facebook post made in 2016.</p>

<p>387 journalists worldwide are currently detained in connection their work, while 54 are held hostage and 4 are missing, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF)&rsquo;s <a href="https://rsf.org/en/news/rsfs-2020-round-35-rise-number-women-journalists-held-arbitrarily?fbclid=IwAR3DA3pSiOX-qwElarOdMww3170CN_eUxkucb-8hmCCYyW8cPeh2OymKaW0">2020 round-up report</a> on abusive treatment of journalists.</p>

<p>A group of alumni and current students from the Faculty of Arts, Chulalongkorn University, has issued an <a href="https://www.facebook.com/nisitchulaparty/posts/196286588789050">open letter</a> to King Vajiralongkorn, calling for the repeal of Thailand&rsquo;s lèse majesté law, with which at least 24 people involved with recent protests have been charged in the past two weeks.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Ever since the 2014 coup d&#39;état by the NCPO, there have been relentless efforts to silence critics. Human rights defenders, activists, journalists, opposition politicians, and online users have faced &lsquo;lawfare&rsquo; where the government brought criminal charges against them to stop criticism.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Cambodian Government&rsquo;s new state of emergency law in response to the COVID-19 pandemic risks violating the right to privacy, silencing free speech and criminalising peaceful assembly, a UN expert said today.</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><a href="https://www.hrw.org/asia/cambodia">Cambodian</a>&nbsp;authorities should stop arresting people for expressing concerns about COVID-19&rsquo;s impact in Cambodia and claiming they are spreading so-called &ldquo;fake news,&rdquo; Human Rights Watch said today.</p>