Sureerat Chiwarak, mother of detained student activist Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak, shaved her head yesterday (30 April) to protest against the court’s decision to repeatedly deny bail for her son, whose health is reported to be rapidly declining after being on a hunger strike for the past 46 days.

Four people currently facing royal defamation charges and detained pending trial have been granted bail: activists Jatupat Boonpattararaksa and Somyot Prueksakasemsuk, and two other people who were previously detained at prisons in Chiang Mai.

PEN International issued a statement on Tuesday (20 April) raising concerns about the Thai authorities' use of the royal defamation law against critics of the monarchy and call for the repeal of Section 112 and for all charges against the protesters to be immediately dropped. 

Mongkhon Thirakot, who was arrested on Wednesday (14 April) on charges under the lèse majesté law and the Computer Crimes Act while on a hunger strike in front of the Criminal Court in Bangkok, has been granted bail after two days in detention.

Scholars At Risk (SAR) called on the Thai authorities for the immediate release of three detained students activists and for all charges against them to be dropped.