PRAWA joins the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organization Against Torture (OMCT), the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, together with the Union for Civil Liberty (UCL) in Thailand, to welcome the opinion issued by the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (UNWGAD), which found the pre—trial detention of human rights defender; Mr. Somyot Prueksakasemsuk to be in contravention of international human rights law and standards and called for his urgent release.

Mr. Somyot is in his 20th consecutive Month of pre—trial detention since he was arrested on April 30, 2011, five days after he launched a petition campaign to collect 10,000 signatures required for a parliamentary review of lèse¬-majesté law. His applications for provisional release have been turned down repeatedly by the court. Somyot is charged with violating article 112 of the Thai Criminal Code (the lèse—majesté law) for allowing, as editor, the publication of two articles written by another person in the magazine Voice of Taksin, which are alleged to be critical of the monarchy. As is usual in such cases, the “offending” Texts were not publicly revealed during the trial, making the legal process non¬-transparent.

Contemporaries of Somyot in UCL have also expressed their support. “I have known Khun Somyot since we both served in the Union for Civil Liberty. He has shown commitment to work for the well-being of workers. Later on, he plays a greater role in the promotion of political rights in general and those of Thai workers in particular. His long career in human rights and democracy deserves praise not politically motivated charge of lèse-majesté”, said Gothom Arya, Lecturer at Mahidol University in Thailand.

“He shared the good and bad times of the workers, was dedicated and fought sincerely against the violation of their rights. He adhered to human dignity, believed in democracy, and disagreed with dictatorship and coup d’état. Somyot was accepted and trusted by workers while he was acting as a workers’ rights officer of the UCL”, said Jaturong Boonyarattanasoontorn, former Chairman of UCL.

On June 15, 2012, the UNWGAD sent a communication to the Thai government, raising its concerns and questions regarding Somyot. The Government replied on June 29, defending the “lèse—majesté law as “legitimate and indispensable for national security”. It went as far as describing lèse—majesté offenses as an“imminent threat to national unity and stability and, indeed, national existence”, but apparently did not provide any concrete evidence to justify such sweeping claims in general and in Somyot’s case in particular

As the world celebrates the International Human Rights Day, PRAWA joins all the lovers of inalienable human rights and freedom to condemn in very strong terms continued detention of Mr. Somyot. PRAWA therefore advocates for his immediate release.

Amandla!