Thailand: Lawmakers should expedite the enactment of the Draft Prevention and Suppression of Torture and Enforced Disappearance Act

Asia
Issue: Advocacy
Document Type: Open Letter
Date: Jul 4, 2022
Today, the ICJ, along with five other international human rights organizations, submitted a letter to the President of the Senate and the Chair of the Extraordinary Committee Considering the Draft Prevention and Suppression of Torture and Enforced Disappearance Act calling for an end to the protracted delay in finalizing and adopting legislation aimed at protecting against torture, other ill-treatment and enforced disappearance.

The organizations urged the Extraordinary Committee and the Senate to expedite the enactment of the Draft Act without further delay and ensure its compliance with Thailand’s obligations under international human rights law. We also called for a more transparent and fuller update on the debate and the progress made in the Senate’s proceedings.

Thailand’s Senate passed the Draft Prevention and Suppression of Torture and Enforced Disappearance Act on 28 February 2022 in its first reading. Consequently, 25 Committee members were appointed to review the bill within 15 days before the further reading by the Senate. Unfortunately, this deadline was extended, and in the past four months, only 13 meetings were convened by the Committee to consider this important legislation.

Thailand became a State party to the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment in 2007. In 2012, Thailand also signed the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances (ICPPED), reflecting a commitment to prevent and prohibit the crime of enforced disappearance. Nonetheless, Thailand’s accession to the ICPPED remains pending up until now.

The organizations signing the letter are the ICJ, Amnesty International, ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights, Human Rights Watch, International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), and World Organisation Against Torture.

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The letter is available for download in English and Thai.

Further reading

Thailand: ICJ and Amnesty International submit recommendations on draft law on torture and enforced disappearance to the Parliamentary Committee

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