English  |  Français  |  Español
 
OMCT LogoOMCT logo
Make a donationRSSOMCT on FacebookOMCT on TwitterOMCT BlogHomeAbout OMCTActivitiesCATOMCT NetworkOMCT EuropeContactsMake a donation
  • Urgent campaigns
  • Assistance to victims
  • Human rights defenders
  • ESCR
  • Rights of the child
  • Violence against women
  • Monitoring protection mechanisms
 Save as PDF Print version
Human rights defenders / Reports and Publications / Thailand / 2019 / May

Thailand: Thammakaset must end its judicial harassment of human rights defenders

Thailand_OBS_Report_2019.05
16 pages / 1.07 MB

​THE OBSERVATORY - PRESS RELEASE

Paris-Geneva, May 23, 2019: Thai company Thammakaset must immediately end all acts of harassment against human rights defenders and workers for exposing labour rights violations at its poultry farm, the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (a joint FIDH-OMCT partnership), urges today. The Observatory makes its call on the eve of the start of the trial against human rights defenders (HRDs) Ms. Sutharee Wannasiri, a human rights specialist from Thailand, and Mr. Nan Win, a former worker at the Thammakaset farm, from Myanmar.

In conjunction with its call, the Observatory is releasing a 13-page fact sheet that details the 14 criminal and civil cases filed by Thammakaset against a total of at least 22 defendants, including HRDs, workers, and two reporters, for alleged defamation of the company. Ms. Sutharee and Mr. Nan Win will appear before the Criminal Court of Bangkok for the first hearing of Thammakaset’s criminal defamation complaint against them on May 24, 2019.

“The ongoing attack by Thammakaset against human rights defenders endangers Thailand's reputation as a global exporter of food products. The Thai authorities and Thammakaset's stakeholders must act urgently to ensure that the company immediately withdraws all complaints filed against defenders and workers, and upholds its responsibility to respect human rights,” said FIDH Secretary-General Debbie Stothard.

The Observatory also calls on Thai judicial authorities to dismiss all existing cases filed by Thammakaset against the HRDs and workers for the peaceful exercise of their right to freedom of opinion and expression and to ensure that no further legal actions against them are pursued.

“Sutharee, Nan Win, and all other individuals who have been targeted by Thammakaset should not be dragged into lengthy, costly, and baseless judicial proceedings. Thai authorities must ensure these individuals are not subjected to Thammakaset’s reprisals for their legitimate human rights work,” said OMCT Secretary General Gerald Staberock.

On April 4, 2018, at the end of its ten-day visit to Thailand, the United Nations (UN) Working Group on Business and Human Rights issued a statement that urged the Thai government to “ensure that defamation cases are not used by businesses as a tool to undermine legitimate rights and freedoms of affected rights holders, [civil society organisations] and HRDs.”

The Observatory also calls on Thailand to immediately amend defamation provisions (Articles 326 and 328) of the Criminal Code and the 2007 Computer Crimes Act in order to bring them into line with international standards.

Read the report here: Thailand_OBS_Report_2019.05

The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (the Observatory) is a partnership created in 1997 by the FIDH and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and aims to intervene to prevent or remedy concrete situations of repression against human rights defenders. FIDH and OMCT are both members of ProtectDefenders.eu, the European Union mechanism for human rights defenders implemented by international civil society.

For more information, please contact:

FIDH: Samuel Hanryon (French, English): + 33 6 72 28   42 94

OMCT: Miguel Martín Zumalacárregui / Delphine Reculeau: (+41) 22 809 49 39

Properties

Date: May 23, 2019
Activity: Human Rights Defenders
Type: Reports and Publications
Country: Thailand
Subjects: Human Rights Defenders, Justice system, Threats, intimidation and harassment

Share this

Tweet

Related articles

  • Thailand:  Judicial harassment against Ms. Thanaporn Saleephol
    Urgent Interventions / April 21, 2020
  • Thailand:  End judicial harassment of human rights defenders, repeal criminal defamation laws
    Urgent Interventions / March 30, 2020
  • Thailand:  Judicial harassment against member of NGO Fortify Rights Ms. Puttanee Kangkun in relation to social media publications
    Urgent Interventions / February 14, 2020
  • Thailand:  Judicial harassment against former Voice TV reporter Ms. Suchanee Cloitre
    Urgent Interventions / December 27, 2019
  • Thailand:  Ongoing judicial harassment of migrant worker rights defender Andy Hall
    Urgent Interventions / May 23, 2019
  • Thailand:  Ongoing judicial harassment of Ms. Sutharee Wannasiri and Mr. Nan Win
    Urgent Interventions / March 28, 2019
  • Thailand:  New lawsuits brought by Thammakaset Company Limited against human rights defenders
    Urgent Interventions / February 14, 2019
  • Thailand:  Drop Defamation Complaints Against Rights Defenders
    Urgent Interventions / December 1, 2018

Languages

This page is available in:

English


You can also translate it on the fly:

Recently Viewed Articles

OMCT International Secretariat
PO Box 21, 8, rue du Vieux-Billard, CH-1211 Geneva 8, Switzerland
Tel: + 41 22 809 4939
Fax: + 41 22 809 4929
E-mail:
OMCT Europe
Rue Franklin 111
1000 Brussels
Tel. / Fax: +32 2 218 37 19
E-mail:
OMCT TUNIS
3, Rue Hassen Ibn Nooman
Cité Jardins | Tunis 1002
Tel: +216 71 791 114
Fax: +216 71 791 115
E-mail:
  • Blog
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Rss
  • Privacy Policy