<p>Thailand&rsquo;s Supreme Court has upheld the Appeals Court&rsquo;s acquittal of human rights defender Andy Hall on criminal defamation and computer crimes charges from a canned fruit company.&nbsp;</p>

<div>Bangkok South Criminal Court today ordered for the immediate issuance of an arrest warrant for Andy Hall with a view to ensuring Hall’s attendance in the court to hear a verdict of the Appeals Court on multiple appeals against his September 2016 criminal conviction. </div> <div> </div> <div>Diplomats from the EU Mission to Thailand alongside the UK, Finnish and Swedish embassy officials and officials from OHCHR and ICJ attended today’s hearing alongside Hall’s legal defence team, a source at the Court informed Finnwatch. </div> <div> </div> <div>The court was original </div>

<div>A Bangkok court has ordered a British labour activist to pay damages to a Finnish fruit company. The verdict has sabotaged attempts to expose human rights violations in Thailand, said a human rights organisation.</div> <div> </div> <div>On 26 March 2018, the Phra Khanong Provincial Court in Bangkok, read its verdict on a civil damages claim against Andy Hall, filed by the pineapple company Natural Fruit Co Ltd, ordering Andy Hall to pay 10 million baht in damages to the company. </div>

<div>87 civil society groups, businesses, parliamentarians urge Thai Prime Minister to protect freedom of expression and labor rights &nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>(Bangkok, September 19, 2017)—The Thai Government should de-criminalize defamation and protect the rights of 14 Myanmar migrant workers and other human rights defenders being targeted with criminal defamation and related charges for bringing attention to alleged labor rights violations, Fortify Rights said today.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Fortify Rights and 86 civil society organizations, businesses, and parliamentarians today </div>

<div dir="ltr"> <p dir="ltr">The Thai Supreme Court has dismissed a criminal defamation charge against a well-known British labour rights advocate, who was sued by a Thai canned fruit company for voicing labour abuse.</p> <p dir="ltr">On 4 November 2016, the Supreme Court dismissed a criminal defamation case against Andy Hall, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BBCThai/photos/a.1527194487501586.1073741828.1526071940947174/1842534709300894/?type=3&amp;theater">BBC Thai reported</a>.</p> </div>

<p>The finding guilty of human rights activist Andy Hall for defamation and violation of the Computer Crimes Act was lauded by the plaintiff, the president of Natural Fruit. After hearing the verdict, the president stated to the press that "No foreigner should think they have power above Thai sovereignty". Because Natural Fruit’s president has invoked Thai values, it is worthwhile examining the case through official normative Thai values, the Twelve Core Values of Thai People.</p>

<p>The ICJ expresses it disappointment with today’s verdict criminalizing the work of human rights defender, Andy Hall, and calls upon Thailand to decriminalise defamation and amend the Computer Crime Act in line with international standards protecting freedom of expression.</p>

<p dir="ltr">A Thai court has handed a three year suspended jail term to Andy Hall, a well-known British migrant labour rights defender, for defaming a canned fruit company.</p> <p dir="ltr">On 20 September 2016, Bangkok’s Southern Criminal Court read a verdict on the case between Natural Fruit Co. Ltd., a Thai canned fruit company based in southern Prachuap Khiri Khan Province, and Andy Hall, a well-known human rights defender who advocates for migrant worker rights.</p>

<p>A Bangkok criminal court is expected to hand down a verdict on September 20, 2016, in the case of a British researcher for his work on labor rights abuses in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hrw.org/asia/thailand" target="_blank">Thailand</a>, Human Rights Watch said today. Andy Hall faces up to seven years in prison if convicted of criminal sedition and violating the Computer Crimes Act.</p>

<p>The Bangkok South Criminal Court today confiscated the passport of British migrant rights defender Andy Hall and imposed on him a travel ban, following a temporary bail request submission. The bail request was made in advance of Hall’s official indictment next week on 18th January for an internationally monitored criminal defamation and computer crimes case brought against him by Thai pineapple exporter Natural Fruit Company Ltd.</p>

<p>The Thai criminal court has accepted another defamation case against Andy hall, a well-known advocate for migrant worker rights, who is accused of defaming a canned fruit company.</p> <p>On Monday morning, 24 July 2015, Bangkok’s Southern Criminal Court accepted a criminal defamation case against Andy Hall, a well-known human rights defender who advocates migrant worker rights, who is also accused of offenses under&nbsp;<a href="http://www.prachatai.com/english/node/117">Article 14 of the 2007 Computer Crime Act</a>.</p>