By Shawn W. Crispin
Thai Lawyers for Human Rights is on the frontlines of challenging the junta’s clampdown on abuses against the monarchy.
In an unmarked building in a back Bangkok alleyway, a group of lawyers and researchers prepares defense strategies for suspects accused of defaming Thailand’s royal family – a crime punishable by three to 15 years in prison under local law.
Established days after the military usurped power in a May 2014 coup, Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR) is now on the precarious front lines of challenging the legality of the ruling royalist junta’s clampdown, including charges leveled and abuses committed in the name of protecting the crown.
TLHR now represents 27 suspects accused of lese majeste, approximately half the number of cases lodged since coup-maker Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha took power. His regime and its ultra-royalist backers have ramped up anti-royal charges ahead of an uncertain royal succession, a wave of repression many fear will extend beyond the crowning of the next king. While accusations have generally targeted anti-royal sentiment, including over social media, they are also being leveled to stifle anti-junta dissent and expose alleged corrupt practices among aides and officials in heir apparent Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn’s camp.
TLHR and others have protested the junta’s use of military courts to try anti-royal cases against civilians, claiming the closed door trials lack independence and transparency. Of the dozen lese majeste cases decided since the coup in which TLHR lawyers have provided pro bono legal defense, all have resulted in guilty convictions. Because lese majeste defendants seldom, if ever, win by challenging the content of charges – which often are not repeated in court as doing so could be considered a crime – TLHR advises its clients to contest the integrity or credibility of the evidence against them.
Read the full story at The Diplomat