<div> <div>Prosecutors have decided to file lèse majesté charges against two activists involved in the political play "The Wolf Bride".&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Phawinee Chumsri, a lawyer representing Patiwat S. </div></div>

<div> <div>Jaran Ditapichai, red-shirt leader and veteran political activist, has been charged with lèse majesté in connection with the play ‘The Wolf Bride’. </div></div>

<p>The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is gravely concerned about the ongoing detention without charge of Patiwat (last name withheld) and Pornthip (last name withheld), who are being held in relation to a complaint filed against them for alleged violation of Article 112 of the Criminal Code in Thailand. Patiwat, age 23, a fifth year student in the Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts at Khon Kaen University, was arrested on 14 August 2014 in Khon Kaen province and is being held in the Bangkok Remand Prison.</p>

<div>&nbsp;</div> <div> <div>The Criminal Court on Thursday rejected a bail request on behalf of Patiwat S., who has been charged with lèse majesté because he starred in the Wolf Bride, a stage play about a fictional monarch. &nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Ratchada Criminal Court on Thursday granted a police request to detain the suspect for six more days. </div></div>

<div>&nbsp;</div> <div><em>Patiwat S., the author of this poem and a student in the Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts at Khon Kaen University, was arrested on 14 August 2014 in relation to a complaint under Article 112 of the Criminal Code in Thailand, which stipulates that, “Whoever, defames, insults or threatens the King, the Queen, the Heir-apparent or the Regent, shall be punished with imprisonment of three to fifteen years.” The complaint against Patiwat is in relation to his role in a play, “The Wolf Bride,” (Jao Sao Ma Pa), performed in October 2013 at Thammasat University in Bangkok. </em></div>

<div> <div>Instead of throwing an ice bucket over one’s head, the challenge is to sing a song whose lyrics touch every free spirit.&nbsp;</div> <div> </div></div>

<div>AUGUST 20, 2014</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><strong>Thailand: Theater Activists Jailed for Insulting Monarchy</strong></div> <div><strong>Lese Majeste Arrests Increase Since Military Coup</strong></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>(New York) – The arrest of two activists involved in a play considered by Thai military authorities to be “insulting to the monarchy” shows the decline in freedom of expression in Thailand since the May 22, 2014 coup, Human Rights Watch said today. </div>

<div>&nbsp;</div> <div><strong>Violation of freedom of expression must be stopped</strong></div> <div><strong>Fair trial principles must be observed</strong></div> <div><strong>Two student activists must be released without delay</strong></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; During 15-16 August 2014, police officials from the Chana Songkhram Metropolitan Police Station arrested Mr. </div>

<div> <div> <div>The police on Friday morning arrested and charged Pornthip M. with lèse majesté for her involvement with a political play about a fictional monarch, which has deemed lèse majesté by the police.</div> </div></div>