Arrest of citizen journalists further hits Thailand’s press freedom

Thailand

Pair of reporters charged with sedition, royal defamation and refusing to comply with police orders

Thailand’s severely limited press freedom has suffered a further blow after two citizen journalists were charged with sedition and royal defamation for broadcasting from a small pro-democracy protest in Bangkok last month.

The journalists, who run a Facebook page and a YouTube channel anonymously, were reporting live outside a royal palace in central Bangkok on Feb. 8 when some student activists conducted a poll by asking passersby if they were troubled by police measures that see roads closed to traffic for prolonged periods to let royal motorcades pass.

Last week the man and a woman, identified only as Worawet and Nui, were required to report to a police station to hear several charges against them including sedition, royal defamation and refusing to comply with police orders, according to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights.

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After appearing in court last week, the citizen journalists were granted bail, but they have been banned from repeating their offense “in a manner that could damage the monarchy, join activities which can cause public disorder, or post on social media invitations to people to join protests,” a Thai pro-democracy site reported.

“They must also wear electronic monitoring bracelets,” it added.

The seven young activists who conducted the poll in February, one of whom is only 14, have likewise been charged with royal defamation, sedition and resisting arrest, according to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights.

“Any criticism of the government is liable to lead to harsh reprisals facilitated by draconian legislation and a justice system that follows orders”

In little over a year, more than 180 Thais, most of whom are student activists, have been charged with royal defamation, which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison per count. Many of those charged with lese majeste have been minors.  

Prominent international rights activists have been calling on Thailand’s government to honor protesters’ freedom of speech by allowing them to express their political views without fear of prosecution, but such pleas appear to have fallen on deaf ears.

Since the military seized power in 2014 in a coup spearheaded by Prayut Chan-o-cha, a former army chief who remains prime minister, civil liberties such as freedom of speech and press freedom have been rolled back in Thailand, a country once seen as a leading light of democratization in the region.

“Any criticism of the government is liable to lead to harsh reprisals facilitated by draconian legislation and a justice system that follows orders. A cybersecurity law adopted in February 2019 [has given] the executive even more powers and poses an additional threat to online information,” says Reporters Without Borders, which monitors press freedom worldwide.

“The threat of a lese majeste charge carrying a possible 15-year jail sentence continues to be used as a weapon of mass deterrence against dissident journalists and bloggers.” 

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