State of emergency allows govt to get away with violation of human rights: iLaw
The Internet Law Reform Dialogue (iLaw) Group said the state of emergency, which went into effect early on Thursday, will give the premier unfettered right to exercise special powers as he was able to do in his capacity as chairman of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO).
In a social media post this morning, iLaw said the legislation allows Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha the authority to prohibit gatherings of more than five persons and allow detention of people without a court warrant for at least seven days.
The group said this was despite the fact that the Constitution grants people the right to hold peaceful gatherings, adding that as many as 421 persons had been charged based on this order under the NCPO.
As for the right to detain people without a court warrant, iLaw said the emergency decree allows authorities to extend the detention period to a maximum of 30 days in areas outside of police stations.
The group said this authority to detain people without an arrest warrant is a violation of human rights, and opens the door to torture.