Stop
criminalization and
intimidation against the Thai
youth!
Detention
without trial and denial of
bail is injustice! Youths have
the right to determine their
country’s future!
Protest letter sent by La Via
Campesina to the government of
Thailand after the detention and
imprisonment of young
pro-democracy activists.
To
the Prime Minister, The
Government of Thailand
To
the President, the Supreme
Court of Thailand
We,
La Via Campesina, the
international peasant
movement, express our deep
concern about the ongoing
intimidation, detention and
criminalization of young
activists and peasant leaders
who took part in Thailand’s
pro-democracy and peasants’
rights movements.
We
are informed that at least 20
young people were detained
without trial for their
engagement in the political
actions to demand democracy
and monarchy reform. These
young people now face hefty
charges of sedition,
cybercrime, lèse-majesté and
violating the emergency
decree.
At
the time of issuing this
letter, these young people
have not been granted the
right to bail. Three detained
young people are on hunger
strike. Two of them are young
women who stopped eating for
more than 50 days.
Detention
without trial, denial of the
right to bail, and
intimidation are essentially
the strategy that
authoritarian governments use
to create fear among the young
activists to silence and
suppress them. We see these
also happen worldwide, in
other struggles and daily
lives of peasants and working
people.
Among
the detained is Ms Katanyu
Muenkhamruang, imprisoned two
weeks ago. Katanyu is a youth
leader who participates in
Assembly of the Poor (AOP)
activities. AOP is a member
organization of La Via
Campesina in Thailand. She is
an alumna of the Florestan
Fernandes National School for
youth leaders of the Landless
People Movement (MST) and a
member of La Via Campesina in
Brazil. She also joined the
First La Via Campesina Asian
Youth Meeting some years ago.
Like other young political
prisoners, her right to bail
has been repeatedly denied.
Furthermore,
we also received the news that
Ms Nisapun Muenram, the youth
representative of the Assembly
of the Poor (AOP) in La Via
Campesina’s Asia Youth
Collective, was intimidated by
the police. The police went to
Ms Nisapun’s home, citing her
participation in the protest
on July 27th, demanding the
right to bail for the young
political dissidents. Although
she is safe now, she is at
risk because of such
intimidation tactics.
The
youth, keepers of our future,
has the righteousness and
rightfulness to participate in
political actions to determine
and realize a socially just
world. As a global movement
for food sovereignty and
peasants’ rights, we condemn
the criminalization and
intimidation against the young
people in Thailand.
La
Via Campesina would also like
to express our solidarity with
the brave young people in
Thailand. They are not alone
in their struggle. There are
countless youth and movements
in many parts of the globe who
share the same dreams to
transform the world for the
better.
La
Via Campesina calls on the
Government and the Supreme
Court of Thailand to stop
criminalization and
intimidation against the
youths and ensure their
unconditional release. Dissent
is not a crime.
We
demand safe public spaces for
the people of Thailand,
including the youth, to
express their right to freedom
of opinion and expression. We
stand by the people’s right to
freedom of peaceful assembly
and association, as enshrined
in the Universal Declaration
of Human Rights and the UN
Declaration on the rights of
peasants and other people in
rural areas (UNDROP). The
government should protect and
uphold these human rights so
that these youths can build
the future of their society
and their country.
Bagnolet,
France
La
Via Campesina
03
August 2022
|
