<p>On 4 August, the South Bangkok Criminal Court granted bail for monarchy reform activists Nutthanit and Netiporn, who have been held in pre-trial detention on royal defamation charges for 94 days. Meanwhile, a traditional Thai dancer-turned-activist, has been arrested.</p>

<p>A hardline royalist activist launched a legal action on Monday against an opposition party for voicing concern during a recent parliamentary debate over the indiscriminate use of the royal defamation law.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Monarchy reform activists Nutthanit and Netiporn, who are being held in pre-trial detention on royal defamation charges, have once again been denied bail despite being hospitalized after collapsing during a witness examination hearing from severe pain and fatigue from their hunger strike.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.hrw.org/thailand">Thai</a>&nbsp;authorities should immediately&nbsp;drop the charges and&nbsp;release&nbsp;pro-democracy activists detained&nbsp;for&nbsp;insulting the monarchy&nbsp;(lese majeste), <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/07/19/thailand-free-detained-critics-monarchy">Human Rights Watch </a>said today&nbsp;(19 July).</p>

<p>An open letter from University of Wisconsin-Madison Professor Tyrell Haberkorn, and Emeritus Professor Thongchai Winichakul to the Southern Criminal Court, reminding the need to uphold the presumption of innocence and freedom of expression, regarding the detention of two monarchy reform activists who are currently going on a hunger strike.</p>

<p>The activist group 24 June Democracy has demanded that the Ministry of Justice investigate a prison doctor&rsquo;s alleged harassment of Nutthanit (last name withheld), or &ldquo;Baipor,&rdquo; a monarchy reform activist currently detained pending trial on a royal defamation charge, while the Department of Corrections claims no harassment took place.</p>

<p>Three activists from the monarchy reform group Thaluwang were arrested yesterday (28 April) on a royal defamation charge after police officers raided their apartment.</p>

<p>Three members of the monarchy reform activist group Thaluwang were arrested earlier today (22 April) on charges of royal defamation and violation of the Computer Crimes Act.</p>