By International Federation of Journalists |
<p>The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has today urged the authorities in Thailand to release Somyot Prueksakasemsuk, editor-in-chief of Voice of the Oppressed (Voice of Taksin), who is held under Thai Lèse Majesté Law. The journalist, who was detained on 30 April 2011, is accused of publishing articles which allegedly made negative references to the monarch.</p>
By Free Somyot Campaign |
<p>Supporters worldwide are stepping up their action to free Thailand’s Somyot Pruksakasemsuk. The veteran campaigner for democracy and labour rights has been in jail since April 2011 on lèse majesté charges. He is being held purely on remand. To date, the charges against him have not been proven. In any case, he is not accused of writing the features concerned. He is charged only with the “publication and dissemination” of two articles in the journal Voice of Thaksin, of which he was the acting editor but not the legal publisher.</p>
<p><em>A Statement from a group of Thai Human Rights NGOs</em></p>
<p>In pursuant to the arrest and prosecution of Mr. Somyot Pruksakasemsuk, labour activist and core members of the June 24 for Democracy and Editor of "Voice of Taksin" on the violation of Section 112 or lèse majesté law since 30 April 2011, and over the past ten months, his applications for temporary release have been turned down. Lately, Mr. Panithan Pruksakasemsuk, his son, has started a hunger strike to protest against the order of the Criminal Court to deny his father's bail though the request has been made seven times and sufficient deposit has been offered. His protest is aimed at demanding the right to temporary release of this father and the issue has been widely reported in media until now. </p>
<p>On 13 Feb, the court hearing in Somyot Prueksakasemsuk’s case in Songkhla had to be cancelled as the fourth and last prosecution witness, who lives in Pathum Thani, near Bangkok, did not show up in court.</p>
By Choo Chon Kai, Socialist Party of Malaysia |
<p>Today, I represent Socialist Party of Malaysia (PSM) here to express our solidarity with labour activist Somyot Pruksakasemsuk, who has been imprisoned without bail since 30 April 2011 and faced charges under lèse-majesté law.</p>
By Suluck Lamubol |
<p class="rteleft">“Tai” or Panitan Prueksakasemsuk, only son of Somyot Pruksakasemsuk and a second year student at the Faculty of Law, Thammasat University, announced last month he would go on a 112-hour hunger strike in front of the Criminal Court, lasting from February 11 to February 16, to call on the judges to “free my Dad.”</p>
By Lisa Gardner |
<p>Thai authorities should "vigorously pursue perpetrators of hate speech directed at Nitirat and other peaceful critics," say Amnesty International (AI). </p>
<p>International human rights group have jointly sent an open letter to Thailand's Prime Minister and authorities, regarding the trials of Somyot Prueksakasemsuk and Chiranuch Premchaiporn which will resume next week.</p>
By Free Thammasat Group for Democracy |
<p><strong>Update: Panitan will go on a hunger strike for 112 hours at the Criminal Court on Ratchadapisek Rd on Saturday 11, starting from 4pm.</strong></p>
<p>Panitan Prueksakasemsuk, the son of well-known labour activist Somyot who has been incarcerated on lèse majesté charges since late April 2011, has announced he will go on a hunger strike for 112 hours in protest at his father’s ordeal.</p>
By Free Thammasat Group for Democracy |
<p><a href="http://www.prachatai.com/english/node/2973">Kan Thoop</a> will report to police on lèse majesté charges on Saturday 11 Feb, after having postponed twice since late last year due to the floods and university exams.</p>
By Front Line |
<p>On 26 January 2012, Front Line Defenders was informed that the request of human rights defender Mr Somyot Prueksakasemsuk, to have the next session of the court hearing against him heard in Bangkok was rejected by the court.</p>
By John Maynard |
<p>As he shuffled into the court room in central Thailand wearing leg chains that dragged across the wooden floor I saw the same warmth in the greeting that I had seen 30 years ago. This was Somyot Pruksakasemsuk who was the first Thai person I ever met – at that time he had been organising Thai factory workers near Bangkok and I was arriving for a meeting of workers from throughout the Asia region.</p>