THURSDAY, March 28, 2024
nationthailand

Jailed lese majeste offender could it uni exam in jail

 Jailed lese majeste offender could it uni exam in jail

Student activist Jatupat “Pai Dao Din” Boonpattararaksa – charged last month with violating the lese majeste law and the Computer Crime Act for sharing online a BBC Thai article about the monarchy – will sit an exam in jail if a court rejects his latest request for bail, said Rights and Liberties Protection Department chief Pitikarn Sithidej on Monday.

Pitikarn said the department had contacted concerned parties including Khon Kaen University’s rector and it was confirmed by the rector that the activist had agreed to the set condition.
If the court rejects his bail request, the exam would be arranged for him in jail so that he could be assessed for his graduation in February.
“The government has given importance to human rights and as a citizen and a student, Jatupat’s right will be protected like others,” Pitikarn said.
Jatupat’s lawyer team made the latest effort to get him out of a month-long detention by filing a bail request on Friday. They said the court had rejected it on the same day, prompting them to plan to file the appeal again.
Jatupat was charged on December 3 with violating the two laws after he shared a BBC Thai report about the monarchy on his Facebook page. The article was shared by more than 2,000 people. He was released on Bt400,000 bail the following day. 
However, an investigator from Khon Kaen police filed a petition with the court, saying that Jatupat continued to incite the public on social media and could tamper with evidence if he were to remain free. Further posts on his Facebook page after the release were seen to have ridiculed authorities.
The court ruled that he had broken the bail agreement, which banned him from getting involved in drugs, tampering with evidence or causing damage after being released. The Appeal Court upheld the first court’s ruling, and the Supreme Court ruled last week that rulings by both courts were lawful. He is now on his fourth 12-day round of detention.

Early this week, a group of student activists also submitted a petition signed by more than 3,500 people to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), asking it to look into the rejection of bail requests. 


 

RELATED
nationthailand