Photo credit: ILAW
On 8 June 2020, the Bangkok Criminal Court in Thailand dismissed charges of criminal defamation brought by Thai poultry company Thammakaset Co., Ltd, (Thammakaset) against human rights defenders Ms. Sutharee Wannasiri and Mr. Nan Win. LRWC welcomes the dismissal of these charges. Thammakaset has 30 days to appeal the dismissal.
Angkhana Neelapaijit
Ms. Sutharee and Mr. Nan Win are among dozens of human rights defenders subjected to judicial harassment by Thammakaset in cases of Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation (SLAPP) after the defenders brought to light allegations of labour rights violations by the company. Numerous other human rights defenders in Thailand continue to be subjected to judicial harassment including Ms. Angkhana Neelapaijit, Ms. Puttanee Kangkun, Ms. Thanaporn Saleephol, and Ms. Suchanee (Cloitre) Rungmueanpon (journalist), Ms. Suthasinee Kaewleklai (Unionist), Ms. Ngamsuk Ruttanasatian (lecturer) and other women and men human rights defenders.
According to the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint partnership of FIDH and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), the Bangkok South Criminal Court refused to combine the cases of Ms. Angkhana Neelapaijitand Ms. Puttanee Kangkun and scheduled the further preliminary hearings for the two cases on 4 August 2020 and 17 August 2020, respectively.
LRWC remains concerned by numerous ongoing cases of judicial harassment by corporations and authorities against human rights defenders in Thailand.
