The content in this page ("Threats Against Khana Nitirat "Hate Speech", Say Amnesty International: Kantoop To Report To Police: 'Free Somyot' Hunger Strike at Criminal Court" by Lisa Gardner) is not produced by Prachatai staff. Prachatai merely provides a platform, and the opinions stated here do not necessarily reflect those of Prachatai.

Threats Against Khana Nitirat "Hate Speech", Say Amnesty International: Kantoop To Report To Police: 'Free Somyot' Hunger Strike at Criminal Court

Thai authorities should "vigorously pursue perpetrators of hate speech directed at Nitirat and other peaceful critics," say Amnesty International (AI).

Via email, the international rights group would express concerns that the proposals of the Khana Nitirat are being increasingly met with public incitements to violence.Citing recent comments made by readers of the Thai-language newspaper 'Manager':
 

… (which) advocate that the members of Nitirat be thrown by soldiers from helicopters; necklaced and burned alive in front of their houses; beheaded with their heads placed on stakes outside Thammasat University; and dealt with on an ‘eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth’ basis…

Amnesty International is concerned with many responses to Nitirat and its critics by Thai citizens, which either stifle freedom of expression and academic freedom, or constitute hate  speech and incitement to violence.
 

Earlier in the week, Amnesty called for "the protection of academic freedom" in response to decisions made by university officials at Thammasat and Mahasarakham universities, respectively, to no longer allocate university facilities for public seminars pertaining to Thailand's controversial lese-majeste law.

In this latest statement, Amnesty would direct its concerns for free expression, given these recent incitements, to Thai authorities both "civilian and military" alike:

to promote and protect freedom of expression, rather than attempt to silence dissenting voices. …
Pursuant to Thailand’s status a state party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

The statement comes as today, 19-year old university student Abhinya Sawatvarakorn, nickname 'Kantoop', is expected to report to police later this afternoon. The youngest person to ever face such charges, 'Kantoop' is alleged to have made statements on Facebook back in 2010 deemed to constitute acts of lese-majeste. If convicted for a single such offense, she would face a maximum fifteen-year prison sentence. A subsequent protest calling for the charges against her to be dropped is expected to take place, with local Thammasat University students, outside the police station.

Furthermore, a hunger strike will begin this afternoon at Bangkok's Criminal Court. As Pavin Chachavalpongpun writes:

Panitan “Tai” Pruksakasemsuk is planning a hunger strike to demand justice for his father, Somyot Pruksakasemsuk, a well-known labour activist who has been imprisoned (under charges of lese-majeste) since April 2011. The court has not allowed Somyot to receive bail throughout the prolonged trial period.

Tai will begin a hunger strike for 112 hours, the number corresponding to Article 112. The hunger strike will… (total) four and a half days. He said that his protest will be held peacefully and will not affect the airport’s operation...

(Following which) Tai will attend the hearing of his father’s seventh request for bail at (the Ratchada) Criminal Court.

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