Thailand: Ban on critics shows brazen determination to silence dissent
| Publisher | Amnesty International |
| Publication Date | 12 April 2017 |
| Cite as | Amnesty International, Thailand: Ban on critics shows brazen determination to silence dissent, 12 April 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5908856a4.html [accessed 20 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Responding to a government warning that anyone who follows, contacts, or shares posts online with three prominent critics - historian Somsak Jeamteerasakul, journalist and author Andrew MacGregor Marshall, and former diplomat Pavin Chachavalpongpun - will be prosecuted under the Computer Crimes Act, Amnesty International's Deputy Director for Southeast Asia and the Pacific Josef Benedict said:
"The Thai authorities have plunged to fresh depths in restricting people's freedoms of expression. After imprisoning people for what they say both online and offline, and hounding critics into exile, they want to cut people off from each other altogether.
"The move doesn't reveal strength, but a weakness and fear of criticism. In its determination to silence all dissent, the Thai authorities are resorting to extreme measures that brazenly flout international human rights law.
"In March, the UN Human Rights Committee raised concerns about the severe and arbitrary restrictions on freedom of expression, including the Computer Crimes Act. Rather than drawing lessons from the criticism, they are pressing ahead with their repressive tactics."
