According to the observation and documentation by Amnesty International Thailand and iLaw via Mob Data Thailand in July 2023, it could be summarized that at least 73 public assemblies were organized throughout the country
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In June, at least 54 public assemblies were organized, at least 13 more than in May. More public assemblies have been held on the environmental issue and the right to land. As to the elections, public assemblies have been held to remand the Election Commission of Thailand (ECT) to promptly certify the results of the election. The issues that prompted the most public assemblies continue to be a demand of the right to bail. At least 29 public assemblies were held coalescing the issue including at least 26 Stand Stop Imprisonment in front of the Bangkok Supreme Court and at least three by We, The People at the Tha Phae Gate in Chiang Mai.
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In May, at least 41 demonstrations were organized, at least nine more than in April. Despite the election was held, the Election Commission of Thailand (ECT) has still not certified the results prompting people to converge around the issues. The issues that prompted the most public assemblies continue to be a demand of the right to bail. At least 27 public assemblies were held coalescing the issue including at least 23 Stand Stop Imprisonment in front of the Bangkok Supreme Court and at least once at the Tha Phae Gate in Chiang Mai.
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Monthly Report on Public Assembly, Prosecution, and Harassment regard to Freedom of Expression and Assembly in April 2023
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Monthly Report on Public Assembly, Prosecution, and Harassment regard to Freedom of Expression and Assembly in March 2023
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Monthly Report on Public Assembly, Prosecution, and Harassment regard to Freedom of Expression and Assembly in February 2023
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Monthly Report on Public Assembly, Prosecution, and Harassment regard to Freedom of Expression and Assembly in January 2023
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At least 40 public assemblies happened in December whereas most of public assemblies were related to the activities to demand the right to bail of political prisoners, at least 33 of them including Stand Stop Imprison activities, mainly initiated with an aim to demand right to bail for detained political activists; In Bangkok, the Resistant Citizen group did the Stand Stop Imprisonment in front of the Bangkok Supreme Court. While, provincially, there are the weekly protest by the Stand Stop Tyranny conducted at Tha Phae Gate in Chiang Mai, the Stand Stop Imprisonment, in Ayutthaya, and the Stand Stop Imprisonment in Nakhon Pathom. In addition, another activity “Santa to bring our friends home” was organized by Thalu Gaz at the Democracy Monument. The participants conducted various activities to demand the right to bail of those remanded in custody including Stand Stop Imprisonment, writing on banners, writing letters to remanded friends, and telling stories of their struggle through hip-hop music.
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At least 65 public assemblies and expression took place in November, which is 10 times more than in October. 36 public assemblies were related to the activities to demand the right to bail of political prisoners including 27 Stand Stop Imprisonment activities by the Resistant Citizen in front of the Bangkok Supreme Court. In the province, the weekly protest by the Stand Stop Tyranny was conducted at Tha Phae Gate in Chiang Mai, five times altogether, the Stand Stop Imprisonment in Ayutthaya, four times.
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On 1 October 2022, the Emergency Decree was repealed and replaced by the Public Assembly Act to regulate public assembly. Nevertheless, there have been no new prosecutions related to public assembly. But several cases concerning public assemblies since 2020 have reached the trial and rulings have been made on a few of them. October saw at least 55 public assemblies and acts of expression across the country, 10 more than in September. Most assemblies were related to the activities to demand the right to bail of political prisoners, at least 32 of them including 31 Stand Stop Imprisonment activities, 20 of which by the Resistant Citizen in front of the Bangkok Supreme Court and two by Independent Pro-Democracy Groups to demand the release of political prisoners at the Supreme Court and the Bangkok Remand Prison. Apart from the protests in Bangkok, the weekly protest by the Stand Stop Tyranny was conducted at Tha Phae Gate in Chiang Mai, five times altogether, the Stand Stop Imprisonment in Ayutthaya, four times. In addition, Thalufah organized the “Free Our Friends” activity to submit to the US and German Embassies a report of the state of the weaponization of law against the people and to demand the restoration of the right to bail for political prisoners. A birthday party was held to mark the 32nd anniversary of Pornchai “Sam” Yuanyee, a suspect of Section 112 who has still been remanded in custody.
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Toward the end of September, the government lifted the Emergency Decree given the COVID-19 pandemic has largely eased up and there was no longer the need to declare the Emergency Decree. The lift was officially effective since 1 October 2022. From the first declaration of state of emergency on 26 March 2020 and its 19 renewals every one or two month, altogether Thailand was subjected to the state of emergency for 919 days or 2 years, 6 months and 6 days. Nevertheless, this month still saw further indictments on cases related to the Emergency Decree and more acquittal rulings as well as the order to not prosecute the cases. It remains to be seen if the lift of the Emergency Decree shall lead to a decline in the legal prosecution against activists. At least 45 public assemblies and acts of expression have been organized throughout the country. 27 of them were related to the activities to demand the right to bail of political prisoners through the Stand Stop Imprisonment. 23 were organized by the Resistant Citizen Group in front of the Bangkok Supreme Court and the rest, four times, were the Stand Stop Tyranny at Tha Phae Gate in Chiang Mai, once a week by We, the people. The Thalu Gaz organized the “Stand, Trample, March to demand justice for our friends” at the Democracy Monument and the “Messaging Through Hell Operation” in front of the Bangkok Remand Prison, also to demand the right to bail.
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The Public Administration in Emergency Situations B.E. 2548 (2005) was still declared during 1 August - 31 SEPTEMBER 2022, the 19th extension of the declaration. In addition, the Government Gazette published the Announcement of the Chief Officer in charge of the Resolution of the State of Emergency concerning National Security on the prohibition of activities and illegal assemblies which may likely help to spread the Covid-19 pandemic no. 15 (Announcement of the Chief Officer no. 15). In the Announcement, a prohibition of public assembly is put in place and procedure concerning the organization and notification of public assembly pursuant to the Public Assembly Act 2015 is imposed. Any violation of the provision can lead to a punishment prescribed in the Emergency Decree. Meanwhile, there has been an uptick in the number of individuals prosecuted for violating the Emergency Decree despite recent absence of large-scale public assemblies. Since May 2020, 1,467 individuals have been charged for the violation of the law in 647 cases.
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The Public Administration in Emergency Situations B.E. 2548 (2005) was still declared during 1 JUNE - 31 JULY 2022, the 19th extension of the declaration, and it was further renewed to extend the state of emergency to 1 August-30 September 2022, citing the re-emerging of the Covid-19 pandemic around the world and in Thailand. In addition, the Government Gazette published the Announcement of the Chief Officer in charge of the Resolution of the State of Emergency concerning National Security on the prohibition of activities and illegal assemblies which may likely help to spread the Covid-19 pandemic no. 15 (Announcement of the Chief Officer No. 15). In the Announcement, a prohibition of public assembly is put in place and procedure concerning the organization and notification of public assembly pursuant to the Public Assembly Act 2015 is imposed. Any violation of the provision can lead to a punishment prescribed in the Emergency Decree. Meanwhile**, there has been continuously increasing in the number of individuals prosecuted for violating the Emergency Decree despite recent absence of large-scale public assemblies. Since the youth-led movement in May 2020, 1,465 individuals have been charged for the violation of the law in 645 cases.**
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In June 2022, at least 86 public assemblies and expressions have been organized throughout the country. At least 52 activities of symbolic expression have been organized to demand the right to bail of political activists who have been remanded in custody including 29 activities of Stand, Stop, Imprison by Resistant Citizen. This was the third resumption of such activity which started since 6 May 2022 in front of the Supreme Court. The We, The People held four activities at Tha Phae Gate in Chiang Mai, and another three activities in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya. Such activities were a direct response to this month’s soaring incarcerations of political activists in prison.
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In May 2022, there have been at least 52 public assemblies and expressions throughout the country, about one third more than those in April (when 35 public assemblies happened.) This includes at least 34 activities to show symbolic action to demand the right to bail of political activists who have been remanded in custody
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In April 2022, at least 35 public assemblies and acts of expression have been organized throughout the country and at least 12 times of public gatherings by standing to at the Criminal Court and the Victory Monument to demand the release of political prisoners in the name of “free our friend campaign” since the number of politically detained persons has increased to seven.
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At least 32 public assemblies occurred in March 2022, a decrease of more than a half of the number in February 2022. They took place in small scale public assemblies focusing on freedom of expression. Most of them were related to political and economic issues including the demand of the right to bail and showing their solidarity to political activists and a commemoration of the death of Mana Hongthong because of the police crackdown on public assemblies in March. They also demanded the government to address economic woes, showed their stand in support of Ukraine and the conducting of straw polls on the monarchy by the Thalu Wang.
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Owing to the outbreak of Omicron in January 2022, Thailand was hit by the fourth wave, although no stringent measures were imposed as in 2021. On 25 January 2022, the Government Gazette published the Announcement on the extension of the duration of emergency in all vicinities in the Kingdom (16th time) to until 31 March 2022 signed on 24 January 2022. It has extended the period of state of emergency in Thailand to nearly two years. The prevailing Omicron outbreak has affected people economically. Meanwhile, people who have exercised their right to freedom of expression and freedom of assembly have been charged for violating the Public Administration in Emergency Situations B.E. 2548 (2005). According to the Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, just for 2021**, at least 1,244 have been charged for violating the Emergency Decree in over 542 cases.
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In January 2022, the Omicron infection has ushered in Thailand the fourth wave, despite its relatively lax precaution compared to 2021. However, on 25 January 2022, the Government Gazette published the notification to extend the State of Emergency in all vicinities of the Kingdom (16th time) until 31 March 2022 signed on 24 January 2022. As a result, Thailand has now been subject to an emergency decree for over two years.
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