Urgent Action: RELEASE HUNGER-STRIKING ACTIVISTS (Thailand: UA 56.22)

Since June 2, 2022, two women have been on hunger strike calling for their right to bail. They have been detained since May 3, 2022. Authorities have started criminal proceedings against them and one other, who is on bail under house arrest, for conducting street polls. International human right commitments oblige the Thai government to effectively protect the human rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly and minimize pre-trial detention. The three must be released immediately, and all charges against them dropped.

TAKE ACTION:

1. Please take action as-soon-as possible. This Urgent Action expires on August 9, 2022
2. Write a letter in your own words or using the sample below as a guide to one or both government officials listed. You can also email, fax, call or Tweet them.
3. Click here to let us know the actions you took on Urgent Action 56.22. It’s important to report because we share the total number with the officials we are trying to persuade and the people we are trying to help.

CONTACT INFORMATION

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SAMPLE LETTER Dear Minister, I am concerned that your government is arbitrarily detaining people who are peacefully exercising their human rights. Your government has filed criminal proceedings against them which could lead to decades or even life imprisonment. They have been denied their right to bail, and your government has subjected many individuals to excessively restrictive bail conditions. I regret that your government has denied activists Netiporn ‘Bung’ Sanesangkhom, an online English teacher, and Nutthanit ‘Bai Por’ Duangmusit, a 1^st year university student, their right to bail since May 3, 2022. The pair went on hunger strike on June 2, 2022 in protest of their detention. In addition, bail conditions of house-arrest have been imposed on Tantawan ‘Tawan’ Tuatulanon, after detaining her for 36 days. Nutthanit has missed university exams due to being detained. The three face criminal proceedings including under laws on sedition and lèse majesté, solely for peacefully soliciting public opinion in an opinion poll and sharing their opinions online. Thailand’s international human rights commitments oblige your government to effectively protect the human rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly and minimize pre-trial detention. Your government has accepted recommendations at the Universal Periodic Review aimed at increasing protection of these rights. The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has also found your government’s practice of prosecuting and arbitrarily detaining lèse majesté suspects, including through denying the right to bail, to be in breach of its international human rights obligations. Therefore, I call on you to:

• Immediately release and/or withdraw charges and excessive bail conditions against people targeted for peaceful exercise of their rights and drop all criminal proceedings against them;
• Pending the release of people targeted for peaceful exercise of their rights, ensure they have adequate access to medical treatment;
• Instruct officials to uphold Thailand’s international human rights obligations, including on the right to bail, freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly.

Sincerely, [YOUR NAME] ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

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• CONTACT US: [email protected]