By Kritsada Subpawanthanakun |
Section 6 of the Constitution, which places the King in a revered and inviolable position, has been used to justify guilty verdicts in royal defamation cases. This has raised concerns about the erosion of the freedoms enshrined in the Constitution.
Somchai Prechasilpakul, lecturer at Chiang Mai University's Faculty of Law, says that the broad interpretation of Section 6 is a dangerous development that will intensify calls for judicial reform.
Death of justice? How an activist's death in detention raise questions about the Thai justice system
By Prachatai |
On 14 May 2024, 28-year-old monarchy reform advocate Netiporn “Bung” Sanesangkhom died while detained at the Corrections Hospital after a long hunger strike to demand judicial reform and an end to the detention of political dissidents. To this day, the circumstances of her death remain unclear, leading to questions about the Corrections Hospital’s standard of care and the justice system as a whole.
By Anna Lawattanatrakul |
At 14, Thanalop Phalanchai became one of the youngest people ever charged with royal defamation. At 15, she was arrested and held in pre-trial detention, making her the youngest person to ever be detained on a royal defamation charge. Her arrest and detention raised questions about the Thai juvenile justice system and whether it is serving the best interests of the country’s children.
By Prachatai |
<p>Activists Tantawan Tuatulanon and Orawan Phuphong, who are undergoing a hunger strike to demand the release of political prisoners and judicial reform, will continue their hunger strike until every political prisoner is released, said their lawyer during a press conference on Saturday (4 February).</p>
<p>6 opposition parties have issued a statement backing the call for the reform of the judicial system made by monarchy reform activists Tantawan Tuatulanon and Orawan Phuphong, who have been on a dry hunger strike since 18 January, but did not respond to their demand for political parties to back the repeal of the royal defamation and sedition laws.</p>
By Thammachart Kri-aksorn |
<p><span style="color:#2c3e50;">The judicial establishment and extreme right wing have tried to belittle a judge’s suicide attempt, but his 25-page verdict has kick-started a campaign for reform of the judiciary. </span></p>
By International Commission of Jurists |
<p>The apparent suicide attempt of a judge in southern Thailand highlights the need for urgent reform of the judiciary to improve its independence from political interference, the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) said today.</p>