The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) welcomes the Thai Court of Appeal’s ruling that the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC)—a government agency responsible for Thailand’s internal security—is liable for “damaging the reputations” of Senator and human rights activist Angkhana Neelapaijit and  women human rights defender Anchana Heemmina.

On 11 June 2026, the Court ordered ISOC to pay 120,000 baht (approx. USD 3,687) as compensation to Angkhana Neelapaijit and 90,000 baht (approx. USD 2,765) to Anchana Heemmina. 

Likewise, ISOC was ordered to remove online content that smeared the reputation of the two women human rights defenders. The Court ruled that ISOC had the authority to manage the website—which focuses on issues about Thailand’s Deep South—where the said false content was published.

The ruling roots from a lawsuit filed by Angkhana Neelapaijit and Anchana Heemmina against ISOC, the Office of the Prime Minister, and the Royal Thai Army for spreading disinformation about them in 2017. Such a tactic—known as “Information Operation”—is often used by state actors, including the military, to silence dissent and paint opposition voices as threats to national security.

"This verdict sets a welcome and important precedent, representing a formal acknowledgement that the State's own security apparatus deliberately and unlawfully sought to destroy the reputations of human rights defenders. It restores their dignity that ISOC's disinformation campaign sought to strip away. This proves that accountability, albeit delayed, remains possible," said Mary Aileen Diez-Bacalso, Executive Director of FORUM-ASIA. 

The case is not an isolated incident as many other human rights defenders, political activists, and opposition politicians have previously reported being targeted by “Information Operation,” including the doxxing of their private information and the dissemination of fake news which are designed to incite public hatred against their legitimate concerns and human rights work.