<div>The UN Committee Against Torture last week reviewed Thailand’s record on torture and inhumane treatment, and expressed concerns about Thailand’s prisons which house the 6th highest prison population in the world.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>The issues of the prevalent use of torture in Thailand’s three southernmost provinces and conditions in refugee detention centres were also scrutinized by the panel of 10 experts.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>This review taking place in Geneva is the first since Thailand became a signatory to the UN Convention Against Torture in 2007. </div>

<p>This is Thanthawut’s account of his day of release, originally published&nbsp;<a href="http://blogazine.in.th/blogs/littlevoicefromprisons/post/4240">in Thai</a>&nbsp;on Prachatai on 12 July 2013. He describes the process he went through on the day of his release and his experience of the pardon. This is a story of Thanthawut’s walk through the series of barred, iron doors that led him from inside the walls of the prison to the world of freedom outside.</p> <p></p>

<p>Thantawut Thaweewarodomkul, former webmaster of Red Shirt USA, who was sentenced to 13 years for lèse majesté, was granted a royal pardon and released from Bangkok Remand Prison on Friday, after serving 3 years. He was arrested in April 2010 for violating the lèse majesté law, or Article 112 of Criminal Code, and the Computer Crime Act.</p> <p></p>