3 July 2019 – a representative of Amnesty International Thailand submitted an open letter to Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan, and handed over the same letter to Commissioner-General of the Royal Thai Police, to urge the authorities to investigate violent attacks on three activists and to protect the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. Deputy Commissioner of the Special Branch Police Pol Maj Tanai Apichartsenee and Deputy Commander of Administrative and Civil Cases, Legal and Litigation Department, Pol Col Komsan Sukmak acted as representatives to receive the letter for the Royal Thai Police.

In the aftermath of the latest ambush which left a prominent pro-democratic activist, Sirawith Seritiwat, aka “Ja New” with grievous injuries, Amnesty International Thailand recalls how political activists in Thailand have recently been subjected to incessant attacks, while none of the perpetrators have been brought to justice. Thai authorities must immediately carry out investigations and bring the perpetrators to justice.

Today is International Day in Support of Victims of Torture. Sadly, torture remains rife in many countries. And more than sixty years after torture was outlawed internationally, gruesome torture equipment is still being openly marketed and traded around the world.

 On 22 May 2019, Thai authorities renewed their crackdown on peaceful protesters by pursuing the prosecution of a group of 17 individuals, including an opposition party politician, for their participation in a peaceful protest outside a Bangkok police station on 24 June 2015. Their gatherings took place during the military government’s ban on “political” gatherings of five or more persons. Filing charges against these individuals nearly four years after their peaceful demonstration appears to be a politically motivated decision to silence perceived opponents and has a chilling effect on the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly in Thailand.

The Thai authorities should investigate the Thai police’s role in Viet Nam’s abduction of journalist Truong Duy Nhat, Amnesty International said today.

Note: This op-ed originally appeared in Newsweek. 

Following an admission by Sudan’s Transitional Military Council (TMC) that they all met the country’s security chiefs on 2 June, and after receiving undisclosed advice from the Attorney General and the Head of the Judiciary, ordered the dispersal of peaceful protestors on 3 June, which “by mistake” killed more than 100 people and injured hundreds more , Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for East Africa, the Horn and the Great Lakes Sarah Jackson said:

In response to the use of force against largely peaceful protestors by Hong Kong police, who used tear gas, guns firing bean bags and rubber bullets, batons and pepper spray to disperse a demonstration against the extradition bill in central Hong Kong on Wednesday, Man-Kei Tam, Director of Amnesty International Hong Kong, commented:

Climate change activist Greta Thunberg and the Fridays for Future movement of school-children have been honoured with Amnesty International’s Ambassador of Conscience Award for 2019, the human rights organization announced today.

Ahead of the court hearing in the case of Nguyen Ngoc Anh tomorrow, Nicholas Bequelin, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southeast Asia, said:

Ahead of the hearing in the case of Rath Rott Mony at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court today, Nicholas Bequelin, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southeast Asia said:

Following a recent investigation in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, Amnesty International has gathered new evidence that the Myanmar military is committing war crimes and other human rights violations. The military operation is ongoing, raising the prospect of additional crimes being committed.