Thailand: UN Human Rights Office welcomes acquittal of two human rights defenders

On Monday (8 June), the UN Human Rights Office for Southeast Asia welcomed the acquittal of two human rights defenders who had been charged with criminal defamation by Thai poultry producer Thammakaset.

The Bangkok Criminal Court reached a verdict yesterday in the case against Nan Win, a former migrant worker from Myanmar, and Sutharee Wannasiri, a Thai human rights defender who formerly worked with rights group Fortify Rights. The charges stemmed from the pair’s involvement in organising a press conference to discuss labor rights and sharing a video critical of migrant worker conditions at Thammakasat on social media.

Companies in Thailand have long been criticized for employing so-called “strategic lawsuits against public participation,” known as “SLAPP” cases, to silence or harass civil society organisations and human rights defenders.

“This judgement shows how individuals raising legitimate concerns about alleged business abuses can and should be protected from SLAPP cases in accordance with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights,” said Cynthia Veliko, South-East Asia Regional Representative for the UN Human Rights Office in Bangkok.

In December 2019, Thailand become the first Government in Asia to adopt a National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights. Protecting human rights defenders from SLAPP cases is one of the four key priorities of the plan.

The defamation case against Nan Win and Sutharee Wannasiri is just one of many that had been lodged against human rights defenders and workers by Thammakaset and other business enterprises in Thailand. The majority of SLAPP cases filed in Thailand in 2019 were against women human rights defenders.

“These cases have created an atmosphere of fear, self-censorship and have added to stress, undue financial burden, and concerns for personal safety. It is critical that the protective measures outlined under Thailand’s National Action Plan are urgently and effectively implemented and the practice of SLAPP is eliminated,” noted Ms Veliko.