<p>A criminal court has issued an arrest warrant for an anti-corruption activist who posted the results of a political survey on Facebook.</p> <p>On 12 March 2017, Veera Somkwamkid, Secretary-General of the People’s Anti-Corruption Network, posted on his&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1243026455795204&amp;id=181257625305431">Facebook account</a>&nbsp;that the Criminal Court on Ratchadapisek Road in Bangkok has approved an arrest warrant for him.</p>

<p>The administrators of a famous political and social satire Facebook page have been accused of criminal defamation and violation of the Computer Crime Act.</p> <p>On 26 January 2017, Atchariya Rueangratanapong, President of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/Helpcrimevictimclub/">Help Crime Victim Club</a>, filed a legal complaint against the administrators of the political and social satire Facebook page called&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/DramaAdd/">‘Drama-addict’&nbsp;</a>at Phra Pradaeng Police Station in Samut Prakan Province.</p>

<p dir="ltr">Public prosecutors have dropped defamation charges against <a href="http://prachatai.org/english/node/6811">Naritsarawan ‘May’ Keawnopparat</a>, Prachatai’s Person of the Year 2016.</p> <p>On 24 January 2017, Naritsarawan told <a href="http://www.bbc.com/thai/thailand-38727957">the BBC Thai</a> that the Director-General of the 9th region Public Prosecutor’s Office and prosecutors of Narathiwat Province dropped accusations under the Computer Crime Act and Criminal Defamation against her.</p>

<div> <h2>AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL</h2> <h2>PUBLIC STATEMENT</h2> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><strong>Thailand: Proposed amendments to Computer-Related Crime Act fail to address human rights concerns</strong></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Bangkok, 25 October 2016</div> </div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>We, the undersigned international human rights organizations, urge Thailand’s National Legislative Assembly (NLA) to reject currently proposed amendments to the 2007 Computer-Related Crime Act (CCA) and to instead adopt amendments that would bring the law into l </div>

<div> <div>For a second time, a military court in northern Thailand has denied bail for a lèse-majesté suspect accused of posting defamatory images of the Crown Prince online.&nbsp;</div> </div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><img alt="" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5568/15214891692_d9b2535c96_b.jpg" /></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>On 26 October 2016, the Chiang Rai Military Court denied bail for Sarawut (surname withheld due to privacy reasons), a 32-year-old lèse-majesté suspect, <a href="http://www.tlhr2014.com/th/?p=2582">reported</a> </div>

<p>A teenager in southern Thailand has accused a transwoman of creating a fake Facebook account to post a lèse majesté message.</p> <p>On 25 October 2016, Natthakan (surname withheld due to privacy concerns), a 17-year-old woman, filed a complaint at Kantang District Police Station in the southern province of Trang.</p> <p>She reported that images of her holding a pistol along with a message deemed defamatory to the Thai Monarchy were posted in a Facebook account titled ‘Nubowi Rak Piommi’.</p>

<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>

<div> <div>The outspoken niece of a draftee who was tortured to death has been indicted under the controversial Computer Crime Act for revealing information about torture in military camps.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>On 22 September 2016, Prosecutor Rati Cholamyai indicted Naritsarawan Keawnopparat under the Computer Crime Act for disseminating information deemed defamatory to the Royal Thai Army, according to the Cross Cultural Foundation.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Naritsarawan is the niece of Wichian Puaksom, a military conscript who was tortured to death by other soldiers in 2011. </div></div>

<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>