Activists in Chiang Mai have filed petitions addressed to the President of the Supreme Court, the Region 5 Chief Justice, and the Move Forward Party calling for bail for political prisoners detained for royal defamation.

Activists submitting their petition to a court representative. (Photo from We, The People)

The activist group Stand Against Tyranny, which has been staging weekly protests at Tha Phae gate in Chiang Mai city since 2020 to demand the release of political prisoners, went to the Chiang Mai Provincial Court last Friday (19 July) to file petitions to the President of the Supreme Court and the Region 5 Chief Justice calling for bail for political prisoners.

The group said that denying bail to those charged with royal defamation violates both local and international laws. Under the 2017 Constitution, the group said, those accused of a crime should be considered innocent until proven guilty and detaining an accused person must only be done as necessary to prevent them from fleeing. The principle of Presumption of Innocence is also enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICPPR).

Those held in detention pending trial or appeal on a royal defamation charge, or anyone who has been accused but not yet found guilty of a crime in a court of law, also deserves bail, the group said. The group also noted that everyone should be afforded the same treatment as former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was indicted for royal defamation and granted bail.

The group said that denying bail without a reasonable cause not only go against Thailand's commitment under both location and international law. It also deprive them of the detainees of their right to a fair trial. The Court should therefore respect legal principles and grant bail to those held in detention pending trial or appeal, espcially those charged with royal defamation - a charge which has been used to silence political dissenters and not for protecting the monarchy.

Move Forward Party leader Chaithawat Tulathon (third from right) receiving the petition. 

Last Saturday (20 July), during the Move Forward Party’s “Policy Fest” event, the activists filed a petition with party leader Chaithawat Tulathon and Pita Limjaroenrat, former party leader and current chair of the party’s board of advisors, noting the increasing number of political prisoners and the possibility that those charged with royal defamation, who make up the majority of political prisoners remaining in detention, will not be granted amnesty if an amnesty bill is passed.

The activists called on the Move Forward Party to demand bail for political prisoners and amnesty for those charged with royal defamation. They also asked that the party do more for freedom of expression, including by bailing out detained activists.

They pointed out that Future Forward Party, Move Forward’s predecessor, was dissolved even though it was clearly not going to amend the royal defamation law, suggesting that remaining silent on such matters was no guarantee that Move Forward would not be dissolves in turn. This said, they called upon the party to stand by dissenters, keeping the promise it made during its election campaign and acting in a manner deserving of representing its 14 million voters.

According to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR), at least 272 people have been charged with royal defamation for political expression and participation in protests since November 2020. Of the 24 people held in detention pending trial or appeal on charges relating to political expression, 17 are detained on a royal defamation charge. 10 others are also detained following a final verdict from the Supreme Court or after a decision not to appeal, while 1 minor is being held in a juvenile detention centre.