Pursuance to reports about the visits to Parit Chiwarak and Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul and that Parit has been on a hunger strike to demand the right to temporary release or the right to bail since 15 March 2021, and his health has become so frail as he has sustained pail skin, as well as pooped blood, Piyanut Kotsan, Director of Amnesty International Thailand, has this to say;
“Amnesty International Thailand is gravely concerned about the fatal risk and harm that may claim the lives of the two activists, particularly Parit, who has been on a hunger strike to demand the right to temporary release for 45 days successively.
Background:
Protest leaders and participants in the anti-government assemblies since 2020 are facing prosecution. According to the Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR), as of March 2021, at least 581 individuals have been charged for participating in such assemblies and expressing themselves politically in 268 cases.
At least 88 of them are also accused of violating the Penal Code’s Section 112 in 81 cases. Parit Chiwarak and Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul are among protest leaders who have been charged for such offence in at least 20 and nine cases, respectively. The Penal Code’s Section 112 carries up to 15 years of imprisonment and Parit and Panusaya may also face life imprisonment.
The Ratchadaphisek Criminal Court has dismissed bail application of Parit and Panusaya at least eight and four times, respectively, since they have been indicted and first denied bail on 9 February 2021 for Parit and 8 March for Panusaya. Both have been detained pretrial for 79 and 52 days, respectively even before the Ratchadaphisek Criminal Court begins the trial and the witness examination in such cases. It is the most prolonged pretrial detention since the mass demonstration first happened in July 2020. The state has resumed the use of Section 112 against the protesters since November the same year.
Parit began his hunger strike since 15 March 2021, while Panusaya since 30 March 2021. The hunger strike is their last resort to demand the right to temporary release. At present, at least 12 individuals charged for violating Section 112 are denied such right. They have been remanded during the investigation, detained pending the trial and the appeal of their cases.