<p>The&nbsp;Thai&nbsp;government&rsquo;s declaration of a state of emergency in Bangkok is a pretext for a crackdown on peaceful demonstrations, <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/10/15/thailand-emergency-decree-pretext-crackdown">Human Rights Watch</a> said yesterday (15 October).</p>

<p>Tens of thousands of anti-dictatorship protesters gathered at the Democracy Monument on the morning of 14 October. Their gathering and their planned march risked confrontation with pro-monarchy groups and people stationed along their path.</p>

<p>20 activists who were <a href="https://prachatai.com/english/node/8839">arrested</a> on Tuesday afternoon (13 October) after they tried to set up camp at the Democracy Monument have been denied bail, while 1 activist who is a minor has been granted bail by the Juvenile Court.</p>

<p>After police dispersed the protest at Government House earlier this morning (15 October), over 20 protesters, including several protest leaders, have been arrested.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The student activist group Bad Student on Friday (2 October) organized a series of protests at various high schools in Bangkok to protest against abuse and mistreatment of students in schools, before going to the Ministry of Education to call for Education Minister Nataphol Teepsuwan to resign.</p>

<p>Women and the LGBT community have joined pro-democracy protests campaigning to abolish patriarchy, gender stereotypes and social norms that marginalize gender equality. They are also collecting signatures for petitions to decriminalize abortion and sex work.</p>

<p>Several police complaints have been filed against the leaders and a supporter of the 19 September protest, including a lèse majesté complaint.</p>

<p>A group of volunteer actors staged a play in memory of the 99 people killed during the crackdowns on red shirt protests in 2010 during the anti-government protest on Saturday (19 September), now said to be one of the largest protests in Thailand since 2014.</p>

<p>Police stopped the vehicles of students transporting equipment and booklets to the protest at Thammasat University&rsquo;s Tha Prachan campus ahead of the afternoon&rsquo;s protest.</p>

<p>International human rights organisations are calling on the Government of Thailand to observe international human rights laws and standards ahead of a planned protest expected to attract tens of thousands to Bangkok this weekend.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Constitutional Court on Wednesday (16 September) accepted a complaint against three leaders of the 10 August at Thammasat University, accusing them of attempting to overthrow the government.</p>