Hundreds of thousands of students marched in Thailand’s student-organized protests last year to demand reforms to the government. The democracy movement now is battling criminal prosecutions. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha of Thailand threatens to use “all laws and all articles” against the dissenters from the street rallies. Dozens of protestors have been accused of breaking the lése-majesté law, a law that punishes anyone who insults senior members of the royal family with jail time.
The United Nations human rights agency condemns the reintroduction of the enforcement of this law after almost three years of suspension. Some of the protestors have been seized overnight and taken to police stations and have faced charges as numerous as the years they have been alive. The demands of the protests have not been met since last year, and the punishment is threatening to silence those who continue to push for change.
Read more: Thailand Targets Pro-Democracy Protesters in Sweeping Legal Dragnet
