Thailand: Harassment and prosecution of activists and critics persist as elections loom

Thailand’s civic space is rated as ‘repressed’ by the CIVICUS Monitor. Scores of individuals including activists have been charged or convicted for royal defamation (lèse-majesté) and given harsh sentences for their speeches and social posts critical of the monarchy. Some were denied bail. Censorship was also documented, and protesters have also been targeted with arrest and prosecution.

On 5th September 2025, Thailand’s parliament elected Anutin Charnvirakul, leader of the conservative opposition Bhumjaithai party, as the country’s prime minister. He replaced Paetongtarn Shinawatra of the ruling Pheu Thai Party, who was dismissed by the Constitutional Court in August 2025 over an ethics scandal. The Bhumjaithai leader scored a convincing victory, securing 311 votes, far above the 247 required for a majority among the House of Representatives’ 492 active members.

Border tensions between Thailand and Cambodia that flared up in May 2025, reignited in December 2025 despite a peace deal brokered in October 2025 in Malaysia, the ASEAN Chair. More than 40 people are reported to have died as a result of the conflict as of December 2025 and according to the UN some 750,000 people have fled their homes around Thailand and Cambodia’s border. Clashes have put civilians at risk along with schools, medical facilities, and religious and cultural sites.

On 11th December 2025, the Prime Minister moved to dissolve parliament and opened the door to elections. Thailand’s Election Commission (EC) has officially set the country’s next general election for 8th February 2025.

In recent months, human rights defenders commenting on the border conflict have faced harassment and intimidation while a Montagnard activist was extradited to Vietnam. Politicians, pro-democracy and student activists and cartoonists have been prosecuted and convicted for royal defamation while five activists from the Deep South are facing intimidation charges. An amnesty bill was passed that did not include those prosecuted for royal defamation, a human rights defender Arnon Nampa has been denied bail while an Australian journalist was indicted for alleged defamation against a Malaysian agency.

Association

Harassment and intimidation of human rights defenders for comments on border conflict

In October 2025, human rights organisations raised deep concerns about the online death threats and hate speech directed at Thai Senator Angkhana Neelapaijit and human rights researcher Sunai Phasuk following their public comments on the Thailand-Cambodia border conflict.

Angkhana is a prominent women’s human rights defender, chair of the Senate’s Human Rights Committee and a former member of Thailand’s National Human Rights Commission. She is also a former member of the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances. Sunai is a senior researcher on Thailand in Human Rights Watch’s Asia division.

They faced online death threats and harassment following their public criticism of the use of loudspeakers to project disturbing sounds toward Cambodian civilians living along the border. The broadcasts were carried out nightly and include sounds resembling ghostly howls and aircraft engines.

On 11th November 2025, UN experts also expressed grave concern over the renewed online attacks, disinformation campaigns, and harassment against the two HRDs. The experts noted that, since 12th October 2025, the defenders have been subjected to a surge of attacks, often gendered, as well as religiously charged insults, and even incitements to violence, including death threats. Some posts have sought to stigmatise the defenders’ advocacy as unpatriotic or politically motivated.

Montagnard activist extradited to Vietnam

The Thai authorities forcibly returned to Vietnam a prominent Montagnard human rights activist Y Quynh Bdap, putting him at risk of torture and other serious abuses.

According to Human Rights Watch, the authorities extradited Bdap, 33, on 28th November 2025, two days after Thailand’s Court of Appeal upheld a criminal court’s 2024 ruling that he could be sent back to Vietnam. Thai immigration police initially arrested Bdap on immigration charges in Bangkok in 2024, after Vietnamese authorities requested his extradition.

As previously documented, Bdap is an ethnic minority human rights defender and religious freedom activist. He co-founded Montagnards Stand for Justice (MSFJ), an organisation that documents human rights violations and advocates for the rights of Montagnard people, an indigenous ethnic minority group in Vietnam’s central highlands.

Bdap was accused of engaging in “terrorism,” with the Vietnamese Government labelling MSFJ as a “terrorist organisation.” In January 2024, he was sentenced in absentia to 10 years’ imprisonment, allegedly for being involved in an attack on two police stations in Cu Kuin district in June 2023. Bdap asserted in a video statement that he had no involvement in the attack and he was in Thailand at the time.

Bdap had been living in Thailand since 2018 and had been recognised as a refugee by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees; his deportation violates the principle of nonrefoulement, which prohibits countries from returning people to places where they are likely to face persecution.

Bdap’s case highlights a disturbing trend of transnational repression, wherein Vietnamese activists and human rights defenders seeking refuge in Thailand endure systematic surveillance, judicial harassment and extradition.

Expression

Parliamentarian convicted for royal defamation

On 8th September 2025, Chonthicha ‘Lookkate’ Jangrew - a Member of Parliament (MP) from the People’s Party and women’s human rights defender- was initially sentenced to four years in prison under Section 112 of the Criminal Code (lèse-majesté) and Article 14(3) of the Computer Crimes Act (CCA), both of which have increasingly been weaponised as tools against dissenters.

The sentence was later reduced to two years and eight months following Lookkate’s close cooperation.

The charges stem from a social media post in which Lookkate voiced opinions about royal expenditure, military transfers and budgets, and promotions for civilian servants. The Court deemed her statements “offensive and disrespectful to the monarchy.”

During the appeal process, Lookkate was granted bail with a 300,000 baht bond (USD 9,452). She is prohibited from leaving Thailand without court approval.

This is her second conviction for her activism. On 27th May 2024, the Thanyaburi Provincial Court sentenced her to two years in prison under Article 112 for a speech she gave during a peaceful demonstration in Thanyaburi, Pathumthani Province, in September 2021. On 30th September 2025, the Court of Appeal Region 1 upheld the two-year prison sentence.

Further, according to the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), since 2015, she has been prosecuted in approximately 30 criminal cases on various politically-motivated charges, including lèse-majesté and sedition.

Activists charged in Deep South with sedition over seminar on self-determination

Five activists in the Deep South face sedition charges over an academic seminar that included a mock referendum on independence.

On 20th November, Pattani Provincial Court accepted charges against Irfan Uma, 25, Sareef Salaman, 22, Hussein Buenae, 22, Atef Soka, 40, and Hakim Pongtiko, 33. Prosecutors accuse them of inciting unrest and threatening national security under the criminal code’s Section 116, Thailand’s sedition law, which carries punishment of up to seven years in prison, and Section 210, which carries one to five years. Irfan also faces computer crime charges carrying up to three years.

The charges stem from a June 2023 seminar they organised at Prince of Songkla University’s Pattani campus on “The Right to Self-Determination and Peace in Patani.” The event brought together student organisers, political party representatives, and scholars to debate constitutional approaches to resolving regional tensions.

It included a simulation where participants voted on whether Pattani residents should legally be able to hold an independence referendum, designed as an educational exercise in democratic conflict resolution.

All five were released on 100,000 baht (about 3,000 USD) bail each. The hearing is set for 12th January 2026.

Thailand’s National Human Rights Commission said in a 17th January 2025 statement that it had examined the case and found no evidence the seminar incited division. The commission said prosecuting the activists represents excessive use of the law to suppress freedom of expression and constitutes a human rights violation.

Thailand’s southernmost provinces of Pattani, Yala, and Narathiwat have experienced periodic armed conflict since 2004, with more than 7,000 deaths.

Indictments and convictions for lèse-majesté

The government has continued to use royal defamation (lèse-majesté) provisions or Article 112 to arrest and convict activists, critics and politicians for insulting the monarchy. Courts routinely deny bail to individuals charged or impose strict conditions in cases where bail is granted. According to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR), at least 285 individuals have been charged under Article 112 between July 2020 and November 2025.

On 29th August 2025, a 33-year-old Thai citizen was indicted for royal defamation over a Facebook post regarding the death of King Rama VIII. Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR) reported that Pipat Wisetchumpol, an agricultural products vendor from Buriram Province, was charged with royal defamation and violation of the Computer Crimes Act after he posted about the death penalty passed against three defendants over the death of King Rama VIII.

In November 2025, Songpol “Yajai” Sonthirak, an activist from the Thalufah group, was indicted on a royal defamation charge for flashing the three-finger salute at a graduation ceremony in December 2022. Songpol was charged for flashing the three-finger “Hunger Games” salute, a well-known resistance symbol used by activists protesting the 2014 military coup and students in the 2020 pro-democracy movement, after receiving his degree certificate at Khon Kaen University.

On 30th August 2025, student activist and monarchy reform advocate Nutthanit “Baipor” Duangmusit was sentenced to 4 years in prison on charges of royal defamation and violation of the Computer Crimes Act for two Facebook posts from 2022 about the budget allocated to the monarchy. The posts were defamatory because they accused King Vajiralongkorn of wasting taxpayers’ money. She was later granted bail pending appeal.

On 8th September 2025, two pro-democracy activists were sentenced to prison for royal defamation over a Facebook photo of a man holding pieces of paper containing profanities in front of a portrait of King Vajiralongkorn. Khathathon, 29 and Natthaphon, 23, were charged with royal defamation and violation of the Computer Crimes Act over the same Facebook photo. Natthaphon was sentenced to three years and nine months, and Khathathon was sentenced to four years and nine months in prison. However, due to their helpful testimonies, their prison terms were reduced to two years and two years and eight months, respectively.

On 9th September 2025, Joi (Pseudonym), a 27-year-old protester, was sentenced to two years and six months in prison for burning the King’s portrait in a 2021 protest. The indictment asserted that Joi’s action showed malicious intent toward the King, that burning a royal portrait was tantamount to burning the King, and that her act could be construed as an attempt to overthrow the monarchy and the democratic regime with the King as head of state.

On 12th September 2025, cartoonist Tum - who runs a satirical Facebook page - was sentenced to prison for royal defamation and violation of the Computer Crimes Act over royal caricatures posted on a Facebook page. He was given a six-year prison sentence, suspended for three years.

On 30th September 2025, two pro-democracy activists were convicted of royal defamation over a statement referring to the political situation which was delivered during the APEC 2022 protest in Bangkok. Activists Nutthanit Duangmusit and Sopon Surariddhidhamrong were charged with royal defamation after reading a statement during a 17th November 2022 protest that described the current situation as being under the shadow of the military and the monarchy, leaving the country a mere semblance of democracy.

A pro-democracy activist was sentenced to prison on 28th October 2025 for surveying public perceptions of the King. She was later granted bail pending appeal. Nutthanit “Baipor” Duangmusit, along with two other activists, was charged with royal defamation after they conducted a poll surveying public perception of the power of the King in 2022. The activity was carried out on 28th April 2022 on the BTS Skytrain system between Mo Chit and Sanam Pao stations.

Three pro-democracy activists were sentenced to two years in prison over their speeches delivered in front of the German Embassy in Bangkok in November 2021. Thatchapong Kaedam, Chatrapee Artsomboon, and Nawat Liangwattana were charged with royal defamation and sedition. The case resulted from a protest on 14th November 2021, when protesters marched to the German Embassy in Bangkok, where Nawat reportedly read the protesters’ statement while Thatchapong gave a speech, and Chatrapee gave a closing thank you speech.

On 12th December 2025, a 41-year-old individual was sentenced to 3 years in prison on a royal defamation charge after being accused of participating in a protest on 20th December 2020. The indictment was made on the grounds that the actions during the protest mocked the King and damaged his reputation. Phawat maintained that they did not attend the protest. The 20th December 2020 protest was organised by the student activist group United Front of Thammasat and Demonstration (UFTD). Activists wore crop tops and walked around the Siam Paragon shopping mall. Images of the Thai king wearing crop tops have previously appeared online and in European tabloids.

Parliament passes amnesty bill but rejects amnesty for royal defamation

In October 2025, the House of Representatives passed an amnesty bill for political offences. The bill prohibits amnesty for royal defamation, while the House rejected an amendment which would open a door to amnesty for those charged as minors.

Officially known as the Promotion of a Peaceful Society Bill, the bill was returned to parliament for its second and third readings from an ad-hoc drafting committee which combined three versions proposed by the United Thai Nation Party, the Bhumjaithai Party, and a Thai Teachers for the Peoples Party MP who has since joined the Klatham Party.

Two other bills were proposed, one by the Network for People’s Amnesty and another by the People’s Party, but were rejected in the first reading.

Previously, civil society organisations had called on lawmakers to ensure the new law allowed for the full dismissal of all criminal charges against peaceful protesters – without exempting the lèse-majesté law.

Five activists convicted under Emergency Decree

On 25th November 2025, five pro-democracy activists were sentenced to two months prison for violation of the Emergency Decree over an incident that took place in 2023. They were later released on bail.

Noppasin, Sittichai, Chiraphat, Bang-oen, and Somchai were charged with violation of the Emergency Decree after they allegedly staged a protest near the Grand Palace on 9th May 2023. During the incident, they raised flags with messages that included “repeal the royal defamation law”, “release our friends”, and an anarchist symbol, while riding motorcycles around the area.

The police believed that activists shared a common intention in carrying flags to publicly express their opinions. They also rode motorcycles in a procession, showing that they intended to stage a public assembly. However, the defendants argued that their actions were not a public assembly, citing a provision in the Public Assembly Act which defines the public assembly as a gathering of individuals in public place to express their petition, support, opposition or opinion on any matter to the public, and any individual can attend such assembly freely regardless of whether such assembly involved marching or not.

The Criminal Court ruled that riding motorcycles to call for the repeal of the royal defamation law in this case amounted to a public assembly and found that they also failed to ask for permission as required by the law.

The Emergency Decree on Public Administration in Emergency Situation B.E. 2548, which was passed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand, has been used to censor online expression, restrict protests, and investigate and prosecute individuals for exercising their fundamental freedoms.

Human rights defender Arnon Nampa still denied bail

On 27th August 2025, the Ratchadapisek Criminal Court and the South Bangkok Criminal Court denied all bail requests filed for human rights lawyer Arnon Nampa.

His lawyer had filed seven bail requests for Arnon on the grounds that he should be released to take care of his family and continue his work as a human rights lawyer, and because his health has declined during his detention and his release would allow him to seek medical attention.

However, both courts forwarded the bail requests to the Appeal Court, which subsequently denied them on the grounds that Arnon is a flight risk and that the Department of Corrections should be able to take care of him if he is sick.

As previously documented, Arnon Nampa, a prominent pro-democracy activist and human rights lawyer who has been arbitrarily imprisoned since September 2023, was sentenced four times between March and July 2025. He has now faced ten convictions and has been sentenced to a total of 29 years’ jail for his activism.

Arnon Nampa is one of the founders of Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR), a leading human rights organisation. He has also represented individuals facing judicial harassment for criticising the authorities or being involved in protests. He was at the forefront of a protest movement that erupted in 2020 when hundreds of thousands of people, many of them young students, took to the streets to call for democratic changes, including the role of the monarchy.

In November 2025, he received the Front Line Defenders Award for Human Rights Defenders at Risk.

Australian journalist indicted for alleged defamation against Malaysian government

Australian journalist Murray Hunter is facing criminal defamation charges in Thailand for his reporting on Malaysia’s media regulating agency.

According to Human Rights Watch, Thai authorities arrested Hunter on 29th September 2025, at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport while he was waiting to board a flight to Hong Kong. He was charged with four counts of “defamation by publication,” section 328 of Thailand’s criminal code, for defaming the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission. Each charge carries a maximum prison term of two years and a fine of up to 200,000 baht (USD 6,175). He was detained for 24 hours, then released on bail. Thai authorities have confiscated his passport to prevent him from leaving the country.

On 17th November 2025, the Thai public prosecutor formally indicted Hunter for criminal defamation in connection with four articles he published on his Substack newsletter in April 2024 that were highly critical of the Malaysian commission. Thai authorities acted on a complaint filed by the commission’s legal representative in Thailand.

The judge asked both parties to mediate and reach a settlement, which would result in the charge being withdrawn with an amicable settlement. A second round of mediation talks is slated for January 2026. If that fails, then a court hearing has been scheduled for 16th February 2026.