After standing firm behind bars for almost eight months, the abrupt decision of Jatuphat, a law student and key democracy activist, to plead guilty took many people by surprise.
Kritsadang Nutcharus, the defence lawyer from Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, has now revealed that the activist ultimately chose to plead guilty because his trial was to be held in camera.
He said Jatuphat initially intended that his trial would show injustices in the Thai judicial system, but his goal could not be met if the court chose to hold his trial in secret.
At the first hearing in the case on 3 August 2017, the court announced that the entire trial would be held in camera as it is related to ‘national security and the monarchy.’ Thai courts, especially military courts, usually cite the same reason for trying lèse majesté suspects in secret.
According to iLaw [1], a human rights advocacy group, Jatuphat and his family was also informed by the court that he does not stand much chance of winning the case as the King is protected by the constitution although he was accused of lèse majesté for merely sharing a BBC biography of King Vajiralongkorn.
Josef Benedict, Amnesty International’s Deputy Campaigns Director for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, has condemned the court’s verdict on the Jatuphat case.
“This verdict shows the extremes to which the authorities are prepared to go in using repressive laws to silence peaceful debate, including on Facebook. It is outrageous that Pai Dao Din is now facing more than two years behind bars just for sharing a news article,” said Benedict.
Jatuphat also faces trial in a separate case in Khon Kaen Military Court for violating the junta’s ban on political gatherings of five or more persons.
The charge arises from his participation in a gathering at the replica of the Democracy Monument in Khon Kaen Province to commemorate the first anniversary of the coup d’état on 22 May 2015.
Jatuphat ‘Pai Dao Din’ Boonpattararaksa escorted by officers in front of Khon Kaen Military Court on 27 July 2017 (Photo from Bow Nuttaa Mahattana’s Facebook)
* Prachatai. Wed, 16/08/2017 - 16:19:
https://prachatai.com/english/node/7331?utm
Pai Dao Din pleads guilty, gets 2 years, 6 months for royal defamation
A provincial court has handed a two and a half year jail term to a well-known democracy activist accused of lèse majesté for sharing a BBC biography of King Vajiralongkorn.
On 15 August 2017, the Provincial Court of Khon Kaen handed a five year sentence to Jatuphat ‘Pai Dao Din’ Boonpattararaksa, a law student and key democracy activist, accused of violating Article 112 of the Criminal Code, the lèse majesté law.
The court, however, halved the sentence to two years and six months as he pleaded guilty. Jatuphat has already spent eight months in detention.
The sentence was read swiftly in a hearing held in camera, on the same day that Jatuphat abruptly recanted his claim of innocence.
According to Kritsarang Nutcharat, the defence lawyer, Jatupat chose to plead guilty due to the prolonged trial.
Jatuphat is accused of lèse majesté for sharing on his Facebook account a controversial biography of King Vajiralongkorn published by BBC Thai.
He was the first person to be arrested for lèse majesté under the reign of the new King. Despite the fact that more than 2,000 people shared the same article on Facebook and millions read it, he was the only one arrested for lèse majesté.
Jatuphat was recently awarded the prestigious Gwangju Prize for Human Rights in recognition of his fight against military dictatorship.
Jatuphat ‘Pai’ Boonpattararaksa
* Prachatai. Tue, 15/08/2017 - 17:12:
https://prachatai.com/english/node/7327
Pai Dao Din accepts human rights award at military court
An embattled anti-junta activist ‘Pai Dao Din’ has received a prestigious Gwangju Prize for Human Rights while attending a trial at a military court.
On 22 May 2017, Jatuphat ‘Pai’ Boonpattararaksa, a law student and key member of the New Democracy Movement (NDM), was taken to the Military Court of Khon Kaen Province for attending a trial.
The trial was on a case in which Jatuphat and seven other democracy activists were indicted for violating the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) Head’s Order No. 3/2015 for a participating in a peaceful gathering to commemorate the 2014 coup d’état on 22 May 2015.
The order forbids a political gathering of five or more persons.
Before the trial began, Jatuphat reunited with his family who presented him 2017 Gwangju Prize for Human Rights.
His family travelled to Gwangju, South Korea to attend the award ceremony held between 16-18 May of Jatuphat’s behalf as the Provincial Court of Khon Kaen denied his bail request earlier.
The award commemorates the Democratic Uprising or the Gwangju Uprising of 18 May 1980, when Gwangju citizens battled the Chun Doo-hwan dictatorship of South Korea. Estimates suggest that up to 606 people may have died during the crackdown by government troops.
“The 2017 Gwangju Award Committee for Human Rights admires the bravery and love of justice [of Jatuphat] who fight against dictatorship and violation of human rights. Your struggle helps igniting the interest in politics among young people,” reads part of the statement from the award committee.
Jatuphat is accused of violating the lèse majesté law for sharing on his Facebook account a controversial biography of King Vajiralongkorn published by BBC Thai. He is the first person to be arrested for lèse majesté under the reign of the new King.
Shortly after he was arrested for lèse majesté on 3 December 2016, the court released him on bail. However, his bail was revoked on 22 December after he posted a satirical message mocking the authorities on his Facebook account. The message read, “Economy is poor but they (authorities) took my money for bail.”
Despite the fact that more than 2,000 people shared the same article on Facebook and millions read it, he was the only one arrested for lèse majesté.
The court has consistently refused to release him on bail, reasoning that the activist mocked the authority of the state without fearing the law and is also battling other charges for violating the Public Referendum Act and the junta’s political gathering ban in his previous political activities.
The next trial on the case will be held at Khon Kaen Military Court at 8:30 am on 27 July 2017.
Jatuphat reuniting with his family in front of Khon Kaen Military Court on 22 May 2017
* Prachatai. Tue, 23/05/2017 - 11:45:
https://prachatai.org/english/node/7158