'Men in black' retract confessions, say they faced death threats
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The Human Rights Lawyers Association (HRLA) yesterday filed a petition with the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) saying that the five suspects accused of shooting civilians and soldiers in Bangkok's Khok Wua intersection during the height of the 2010
They had confessed to the crimes under the threat of death, the petition alleged.
Lawyer Winyat Chartmontri, who handed the petition over to Kamol Thammaserikul, director of the OAG’s Criminal Case Department, said the “men in black” had retracted their confessions when he spoke to them in prison recently.
The suspects said they had no choice but to confess to the shootings as the authorities intimidated them and threatened that their lives would be in danger if they did not admit to the crimes, he claimed.
The HRLA has asked the OAG not to oppose their request for bail and to order a new investigation.
Kamol said he would hand the petition over to Attorney-General Trakul Winitnaiyapak for further consideration.
