GENEVA, Switzerland (18 June 2025) – We, the undersigned civil society organizations, are deeply concerned over the ongoing abuse of judicial processes against Thai women human rights defender Pimsiri Petchnamrob.
From 4 to 6 June 2025, court hearings against Pimsiri were held before the Ratchadapisek Criminal Court where she faces criminal charges related to her legitimate exercise of freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. With the trial set to resume on 17-20 June and 24-25 June, we urge Thai authorities to quash all charges against Pimisiri.
We are in solidarity with Pimisiri alongside other Thai pro-democracy defenders who have been systematically subject to criminal processes, most for solely carrying out invaluable human rights work.
What happened
In November 2021, Pimsiri was indicted under a total of 10 charges related to lèse-majesté (royal defamation law), sedition, and illegal assembly laws.
She was charged for violating the COVID-19 Emergency Decree after delivering a speech during a peaceful protest in November 2020 near the 11th Military Regiment Headquarters in Bangkok. In her speech, Pimsiri referred to a statement by then United Nations Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression and opinion, David Kaye, on how the lèse-majesté laws have no place in a democratic country.
Although Pimsiri never directly advocated for monarchy reforms nor did she make any remarks about the royal family, she was still charged under Section 112 (lèse-majesté) of the Thai Criminal Code. The law makes defamation, insults, or threats to the monarchy a criminal offence.
Pimsiri’s indictment exemplifies an overly broad and unjust application of the law, raising serious concerns over its wider use to suppress democracy, freedom of expression, and freedom of peaceful assembly.
Pimsiri is not alone in facing criminal charges in Thailand for their human rights work. She is among five human rights defenders who were indicted for delivering speeches in the same peaceful protest. Other Thai human rights defenders are facing the same legal attacks.
After Pimsiri’s indictment in November 2021, she was released on bail with an overseas travel restriction. This has required her to seek court approval to leave Thailand. Her subsequent requests to travel abroad to participate in the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Switzerland were consistently denied.
Call to action
The case against Pimsiri represents a worrying trend of silencing peaceful dissent.
As a member of the UNHRC and a State Party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), Thailand has an obligation to respect and ensure the right to freedom of expression and should set a good example of implementing the highest standards of human rights protection.
Pimsiri’s indictment and overseas travel ban constitutes a serious form of censorship as well as a direct contravention of Thailand’s commitment to fulfill, protect, and promote its human rights obligations at the international level. We respectfully call on Thai authorities to uphold its international human rights obligations before the ICCPR.
Likewise, the authorities should end all forms of abuse of judicial processes against those peacefully exercising their human rights and fundamental freedoms, including women human rights defenders like Pimsiri.
Sincerely,
1. Alternative ASEAN Network on Burma (ALTSEAN Burma)
2. ASEAN SOGIE Caucus (ASC)
3. ASEAN Youth FORUM
4. Asia Democracy Network
5. CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation (CIVICUS)
6. FIDH – International Federation for Human Rights, within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders
7. Front Line Defenders
8. The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA)
9. The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ)
10. International Service for Human Rights (ISHR)
11. Southeast Asia Freedom of Expression Network (SAFEnet)
12. World Organisation against Torture (OMCT), within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders
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The full text of the letter is available here.
