A protest took place on Monday (24 June), the 92nd anniversary of the 1932 Siamese Revolution, in front of Kasetsart University to demand the release of political prisoners.

A protester hold up a picture of activist Sopon Surariddhidhamrong, who is held in detention pending appeal on a royal defamation charge.

Protesters stood for 1 hour and 12 minutes in front of the university’s Paholyothin Road exit holding signs calling for the right to bail for those charged for political expression. Nam, a student activist from the Free Kasetsart group, said she wanted to raise awareness among the students about the current political situation. She said that the 1932 revolution was the beginning of democratic rule, but she wanted to question whether there is true democracy and freedom in Thailand.

She said that the justice system does not treat everyone equally, noting that former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was charged with royal defamation, was immediately granted bail after being indicted on 18 June, but bail requests for 18 political prisoners who remain in detention were denied.

“I want to tell everyone involved in the judicial process and people who have power in Thailand that they should turn to considering and really listening to the voice of the people so that there will really be equality and justice in our country, and so that we are not criticized by the international community,” Nam said.

The Free Kasetsart group also issued a statement calling for bail for every political prisoner, in line with the Constitution, which states that a person must be treated as innocent until proven guilty.

Chalita Bundhuwong holding a piece of paper saying "The righ to freedom of expression = human right." 

Chalita Bundhuwong, lecturer and a member of the Thai Academic Network for Civil Rights, joined the protest. She said that she and Anusorn Unno, another academic from the network, filed a bail request for student activist Sirapob Phumpheungphut on 18 June, but the request was denied.

Chalita said that Sirapob’s detention is a loss of opportunity, since he is studying for a master’s degree and denying him bail means denying him the opportunity to continue his education. She also said that the network will not only be trying to post bail for Sirapob but will also be seeing how they can campaign for amnesty for those charged with royal defamation. She noted that the royal defamation charge is considered a political charge, and no one would be getting amnesty if the government does not include those charged with royal defamation since most people being prosecuted for political expression are facing this charge.

Chalita calls on the current government and the Ministry of Justice to remember the promises they gave when they were the opposition and demand that the Ministry of Justice ensure that detainees, especially political prisoners held in pre-trial detention, are well cared for.

According to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR), 44 political prisoners remain in detention, 18 of whom are held in detention pending trial or appeal.

TLHR noted that the Courts of First Instance tend to forward bail requests for those it found guilty to higher courts. This means that it is more difficult for those facing political prosecution to be granted bail, since higher courts tend not to grant bail for those charged with royal defamation.

Under a regulation of the President of the Supreme Court on temporary release and bail, the Court of First Instance may rule on the bail request of defendants facing less than 5 years in prison who have never been imprisoned and are not flight risks. The Court may impose stricter bail conditions, but it may rule whether to grant the defendant bail without forwarding the request to higher courts.