<p>Sureerat Chiwarak, mother of detained student activist Parit &ldquo;Penguin&rdquo; Chiwarak, shaved her head yesterday (30 April) to protest against the court&rsquo;s decision to repeatedly deny bail for her son, whose health is reported to be rapidly declining after being on a hunger strike for the past 46 days.</p>

<p>The Criminal Court has once again denied bail for 7 activists detained on royal defamation charges under Section 112, one of whom is Parit Chiwarak, whose health is reported to be rapidly declining due to his hunger strike.</p>

<p>Student activist Wanwalee Thammasattaya has been detained pending trial on a royal defamation charge relating to a protest on 6 December 2020</p>

<p>Four people currently facing royal defamation charges and detained pending trial have been granted bail: activists Jatupat Boonpattararaksa and Somyot Prueksakasemsuk, and two other people who were previously detained at prisons in Chiang Mai.</p>

<p>PEN International issued a <a href="https://pen-international.org/news/thailand-government-expands-legal-system-against-critics-criminalising-peaceful-expression">statement</a> on Tuesday (20 April) raising concerns about the Thai authorities&#39; use of the royal defamation law against critics of the monarchy and call for the repeal of Section 112 and for all charges against the protesters to be immediately dropped.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Mongkhon Thirakot, who was <a href="https://prachatai.com/english/node/9179">arrested</a> on Wednesday (14 April) on charges under the lèse majesté law and the Computer Crimes Act while on a hunger strike in front of the Criminal Court in Bangkok, has been granted bail after two days in detention.</p>

<p>A man who has been on hunger strike in front of the Criminal Court for the past three days to demand the release of detained activists has been arrested on charges under the lèse majesté law and the Computer Crimes Act.</p>

<p>22 people facing charges relating to the protests on 19 &ndash; 20 September 2020, including 7 protest leaders facing lèse majesté charges, have withdrawn their legal representation in protest at court measures and treatment by prison officials which deny them the right to a fair and open trial. &nbsp;</p>

<p>Phonphimon (last name withheld), a 22-year-old online vendor from Chiang Mai, faces a royal defamation charge and a charge under the Computer Crimes Act for a Facebook post made in October 2020 and is currently still in detention.</p>

<p>Activist Piyarat &ldquo;Toto&rdquo; Chongthep was immediately re-arrested on a royal defamation charge under Section 112, Thailand&rsquo;s lèse majesté law, after he was granted bail on a criminal organization charge and released from Bangkok Remand Prison.</p>

<p>The public prosecutor has postponed until 13 May 2021 the hearing of 13 people involved in the <a href="https://prachatai.com/english/node/8881">protest in front of the German Embassy in Bangkok</a> on 26 October 2020, as the prosecutor has yet to finish the paperwork needed to file the case against the protesters.</p>

<p>Tiwagorn Withiton, a Facebook user who went viral in 2020 for posting a picture of himself wearing a shirt printed with &ldquo;I lost faith in the monarchy,&rdquo; was arrested again this morning (4 March) by around 20 police officers.</p>