The ICJ and Lawyers Rights Watch Canada (LRWC) today submitted a joint amicus curiae in the criminal defamation proceedings against human rights defender Andy Hall.
The defamation charges have arisen in the context of research he has carried out on allegedly poor labour conditions, and the alleged use of illegal child labour employed in Thailand’s tuna and fruit export industry.
The brief points out that the imposition of harsh penalties such as imprisonment or large fines on a human rights defender risks having a ‘chilling effect’ on the exercise of freedom of expression, which Thailand is bound to protect pursuant to its international legal obligations.
These include international human rights treaties to which Thailand is a party. The brief aims to clarify the nature and scope of these international legal obligations relating to the right of freedom of expression.
Thailand-Amicus Andy Hall-Advocacy-Legal Submission-2016-ENG (full text in English PDF)
Thailand-Amicus Andy Hall-Advocacy-Legal Submission-2016-THA (full text in Thai, PDF)