New information
THA 003 / 0625 / OBS 35.1
Conviction /
Sentence /
Arbitrary detention /
Judicial harassment /
Restriction to freedom of expression /
Restriction to peaceful assembly
Thailand
30 October 2026
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a partnership of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), has received new information and requests your urgent intervention in the following situation in Thailand.
New information:
The Observatory has been informed about the conviction and prison sentence imposed on Mr Arnon Nampa, a prominent pro-democracy activist, human rights lawyer, and recipient of the 2025 Front Line Defenders Award for Human Rights Defenders at Risk and four other pro-democracy activists, Ms Wanwalee “Tee” Thammasattaya, Mr Phongsatorn “Boy” Tancharoen, Mr Promsorn “Fah” Veerathamjaree, and Mr Nawat “Amp” Liangwattana.
On 30 October 2026, the Criminal Court convicted the five activists under Article 112 of the Criminal Code (“lèse-majesté”) in connection with their participation in a peaceful pro-democracy demonstration outside the headquarters of the Siam Commercial Bank (SCB) in Bangkok on 25 November 2020. The Court sentenced each of them to four years in prison, which was reduced to two years and eight months each, as the Court considered their testimonies useful.
Wanwalee Thammasattaya and Phongsatorn Tancharoen were detained at the Bangkok Remand Prison pending the Court of Appeal’s decision on their bail application. Promsorn Veerathamjaree and Nawat Liangwattana have already been imprisoned at the Thanyaburi District Prison and the Bangkok Remand Prison respectively, as a result of other prior lèse-majesté convictions and prison sentences. Promsorn Veerathamjaree had previously undertaken a hunger strike for more than 60 days to demand his release on bail. Mr Arnon Nampa remains detained at the Bangkok Remand Prison, where he has been incarcerated since his first lèse-majesté conviction on 26 September 2023.
On 25 November 2020, a peaceful pro-democracy demonstration was held outside the headquarters of SCB on Ratchadapisek Road in Bangkok. The rally was organised by the United Front of Thammasat and Demonstration and Free Youth and brought together approximately 2,000 protesters calling for the resignation of then Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha, constitutional amendments and reform of the monarchy. During the demonstration, Mr Nampa delivered a speech regarding legislation on the Thai monarchy and addressed the management and transfer of royal assets. The Crown Property Bureau, recently renamed the Privy Council Purse, and King Rama X are major shareholders of SCB.
The Observatory underscores that Mr Nampa has been convicted 12 times under Article 112 of the Criminal Code (“lèse-majesté”) in connection with social media posts and speeches delivered during peaceful pro-democracy demonstrations between 2020 and 2021.
The additional two years and eight months of imprisonment imposed on Arnon Nampa under Article 112 bring his total prison term to 34 years, five months, and 20 days. All convictions and prison sentences are currently under appeal, while numerous bail applications have been consistently denied. Between September 2023 and February 2026, he submitted 93 bail applications and 43 appeals against bail denial orders, all of which were rejected.
Promsorn Veerathamjaree will now have to serve a total of 10 years and two months in prison, as a result of three prior lèse-majesté convictions and prison sentences. Nawat Liangwattana will now have to serve a total of eight years and eight months in prison, as a result of two prior lèse-majesté convictions and prison sentences.
According to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, between 24 November 2020 and 6 October 2026, at least 294 people, including numerous human rights defenders and 20 minors, were charged under Article 112 of the Criminal Code. As of 31 July 2026, 12 were detained pending trial or appeal, and 17 others were serving prison sentences. The systematic abuse of Articles 112 and 116 against peaceful critics and protesters reflects a broader pattern of judicial harassment and a shrinking civic space in Thailand.
On 30 August 2024, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) found Arnon Nampa’s detention to be “arbitrary” and urged the Thai government to release him “immediately” and “accord him an enforceable right to compensation and other reparations”. This opinion was issued in response to a petition filed jointly by the Observatory and Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR) on 5 March 2024. The Observatory deeply regrets that, more than two years after the WGAD called for Mr Nampa’s immediate release, the Thai authorities have failed to implement the Working Group’s Opinion and have instead continued to prosecute and sentence him under Article 112.
The Observatory recalls that Thailand is a State party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). Articles 9 and 14 of the ICCPR guarantee the rights to liberty and to a fair trial, while Articles 19, 21, and 22 protect the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and association. Any restriction must be strictly necessary and proportionate. The imposition of lengthy prison sentences for peaceful criticism of public institutions is incompatible with these obligations.
The Observatory considers that the conviction and continued arbitrary detention of Arnon Nampa as well as the convictions and prison sentences imposed on Ms Wanwalee Thammasattaya, Mr Phongsatorn Tancharoen, Mr Promsorn Veerathamjaree, and Mr Nawat Liangwattana, appear to be solely aimed at punishing them for their legitimate human rights activities and the peaceful exercise of their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, in violation of international human rights law.
The Observatory calls on the Thai authorities to immediately and unconditionally release the five activists, as well as to release all other arbitrarily detained human rights defenders in the country, and to put an end to all forms of judicial harassment against them.
Action requested:
Please write to the authorities of Thailand asking them to:
– Guarantee in all circumstances the physical integrity and psychological well-being of Arnon Nampa, Wanwalee Thammasattaya, Phongsatorn Tancharoen, Promsorn Veerathamjaree, Nawat Liangwattana, and all other human rights defenders and pro-democracy activists in Thailand;
– Immediately and unconditionally release Mr Arnon Nampa and all other detained human rights defenders and pro-democracy activists whose detention appears to be solely aimed at punishing them for their legitimate human rights activities, and ensure that the other defendants are not subjected to arbitrary detention;
– Quash the convictions against Arnon Nampa, Wanwalee Thammasattaya, Phongsatorn Tancharoen, Promsorn Veerathamjaree, and Nawat Liangwattana, and cease all acts of harassment, including at the judicial level, against them and all other human rights defenders and pro-democracy activists in the country;
– Guarantee in all circumstances the rights to freedom of expression and of peaceful assembly, as enshrined in international human rights law, and particularly in Articles 19 and 21 of the ICCPR, in particular by refraining from using Article 112 of the Criminal Code to target human rights defenders and pro-democracy activists.
Addresses:
• Mr. Anutin Charnvirakul, Acting Prime Minister of Thailand, Email: spmwebsite@thaigov.go.th
• Mr. Sihasak Phuangketkeow, Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, Email: minister@mfa.go.th
• Mr. Rutthapon Naowarat, Acting Minister of Justice of Thailand, Email: complainingcenter@moj.go.th
• General Pana Klaewplodthuk, Commander in Chief of the Army, Email: webadmin@rta.mi.th
• Pol Gen Kitrat Panphet, Commissioner-General of the Police, Email: info@royalthaipolice.go.th
• Ms. Pornprapai Ganjanarinte, National Human Rights Commissioner of Thailand, Email: help@nhrc.or.th, info@nhrc.co.th
• H.E. Ms. Usana Berananda, Ambassador, Permanent Mission of Thailand to the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Email: thaimission.GVA@mfa.mail.go.th
• H.E. Mrs. Kanchana Patarachoke, Ambassador-designate, Embassy of Thailand to Belgium and Luxembourg, and Head of Mission of Thailand to the European Union, Belgium, Email: thaiembassy.brs@mfa.go.th
Please also write to the diplomatic representations of Thailand in your respective countries.
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Paris-Geneva, 30 October 2026
Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (the Observatory) was created in 1997 by FIDH and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT). The objective of this programme is to intervene to prevent or remedy situations of repression against human rights defenders. FIDH and OMCT are both members of ProtectDefenders.eu, the European Union Human Rights Defenders Mechanism implemented by international civil society.
To contact the Observatory, call the emergency line:
• E-mail: alert@observatoryfordefenders.org
• Tel FIDH: + 33 1 43 55 25 18
• Tel OMCT: + 41 22 809 49 39
