On Thursday (23 October), civil society organizations, activists, politicians, and members of the public staged a run to the parliament complex to demand the release of political prisoners.
Dressed all in black and wearing bibs with the pictures and names of political prisoners, as well as banners saying “free political prisoners”, runners took off on a 5-kilometre route from Chatuchak Park.
Before the start, a representative of the Network for People’s Amnesty announced that earlier this week, Parliament passed an amnesty bill for political offences which does not include amnesty for people charged with royal defamation. To send a message to the Senate and the courts, participants shouted “Free our friends” before the first group of runners took off.
iLaw reported that over 300 people participated in the event, including some MPs from the main opposition People’s Party and some senators.
At Parliament, activists facing charges and family members of political prisoners took turns giving speeches. The event closed with a performance from the band Rainy Syrup.
This is the second “Run2Free” event organized by the network. The first took place on 27 September, during which participants ran a distance of around 2 kilometres from Lan Khon Muang in front of the Bangkok City Hall to Thammasat University.
According to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR), 56 people are now detained on charges relating to political expression, 30 of them for royal defamation.
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