Detained lawyer Prawet Prapanukul, Danai, Wanchai and three others were arrested by a joint military security force on 29 April and held in an unknown location for five days before Bangkok’s Criminal Court on 3 May remanded the six men to custody. They have been targeted in an ongoing crackdown on individuals sharing or expressing views critical of ruling authorities online. If convicted, they could face between 15 and 50 years’ imprisonment for sharing and commenting on Facebook.
Detained lawyer Prawet Prapanukul, Danai, Wanchai and three others were arrested by a joint military security force on 29 April and held in an unknown location for five days before Bangkok’s Criminal Court on 3 May remanded the six men to custody. They have been targeted in an ongoing crackdown on individuals sharing or expressing views critical of ruling authorities online. If convicted, they could face between 15 and 50 years’ imprisonment for sharing and commenting on Facebook.
- Urging the authorities to immediately and unconditionally release the six men, as they are prisoners of conscience arbitrarily detained solely for the legitimate exercise of their right to freedom of expression, and ensure pending their release, the six men are protected from torture and other ill-treatment, and granted access to their families, lawyers of their choosing and any healthcare they may require;
- Urging the authorities to amend or repeal the Head of National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) Order No. 3/2015, the Computer Crimes Act, and Articles 112 and 116 of the Penal Code, to ensure that they comply with Thailand’s international human rights obligations;
- Urging the authorities to stop targeting peaceful dissenters and critics who engage in the legitimate exercise of their rights with prosecution and arbitrary detention.