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Thailand: Joint letter on restrictions on prison visits and correspondence

Re: Ongoing restrictions on prison visits and correspondence

Mr. Ayuth Sintoppant Director General, Department of Corrections Suanyai Sub-district, Mueang District Nonthaburi Province Thailand Bangkok, 30 November 2021 Re: Ongoing restrictions on prison visits and correspondence Dear Mr. Ayuth,…
News

Evicted from Their Office, Al Jazeera Works from a Front Yard in Tunisia

Authorities Arbitrarily Target Media and Critics

I first met Lotfi Hajji some 15 years ago, after Tunisian authorities under President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali had refused a request by Al Jazeera, the Qatar-funded pan-Arab television station, to accredit the Tunisian journalist as their local…
Al Jazeera correspondent Lotfi Hajji reporting from Tunis after Tunisian authorities evicted the pan-Arab television network from its offices, November 5, 2021. 
News

Thailand: Cambodian Refugees Forcibly Returned

Thai Government Facilitates Hun Sen’s Persecution of Political Opposition

(Bangkok) – Thai immigration officials forcibly returned two Cambodian refugees on November 9, putting them at risk of unfair trials in Cambodia, Human Rights Watch said today. Cambodian authorities should immediately drop the politically motivated…
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News

Joint Letter to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha

Re: Request for Information on Approved Draft Amendments to the Communicable Diseases Act

November 11, 2021 Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha Royal Thai Government Government House 1 Phitsanulok Road Dusit, Bangkok Thailand Re: Request for Information on Approved Draft Amendments to the Communicable Diseases Act Dear Prime…
News

Thailand: Police Torture Political Activists

Investigate, Prosecute Officers Responsible

(New York) – The Thai authorities should promptly and impartially investigate the alleged police torture of two pro-democracy activists in Bangkok and hold those responsible to account, Human Rights Watch said today. On October 29, 2021, at about 6…
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News

Tunisia: Attack on Director of LGBT Group

Police Officers Suspected; Investigation Needed

Two police officers apparently brutally attacked the director of a Tunis-based LGBT rights group on October 21, 2021, Human Rights Watch said today. The attack on Badr Baabou took place against a backdrop of mounting abuses targeting LGBT activists by…
Badr Baabou, director of Damj Association for Justice and Equality, following his assault by suspected police officers in Tunisia. © 2021 Badr Baabou
News

Thailand: Outlaw Torture, Enforced Disappearances

Parliament Begins to Deliberate Long-Awaited Law

(Bangkok) – The Thai government and parliament should promptly act to pass a law that fulfills previous pledges to make torture and enforced disappearance criminal offenses in Thailand, Human Rights Watch said today. On September 16, 2021, the…
Billy Thai Presser 20170206
News

Tunisia: President’s Repressive Policies Abrogate Rights

Dozens Placed Under Arbitrary House Arrests

(Tunis) – Arbitrary and politically motivated acts of repression have proliferated in Tunisia since July 25, 2021, when President Kais Saied suspended parliament, Human Rights Watch said today. He also lifted parliamentary immunity, dismissed the head…
Tunisian President Kais Saied raises his fist to bystanders as he walks along the avenue Bourguiba in Tunis, Tunisia, August 1, 2021.
News

Thailand: Drug Suspect Tortured to Death

Prosecute Officers Responsible for Police Station Killing

(Bangkok) – A video clip, posted on Facebook on August 24, 2021, appears to show police officers in Thailand torturing and killing a drug suspect, Human Rights Watch said today. The Thai authorities should fully and fairly prosecute the police…
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Protesters, Police Clash in Thailand Vaccine Protests

Authorities Suppress Dissenting Voices Amid Covid-19 Crisis

Thai people are once again taking to the streets despite a new Covid-19 outbreak throwing the country into lockdown. This time, confrontations between protesters and the police are growing increasingly violent. Gone are the familiar images of the…
A crowd of protestors amongst teargas
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Tunisia: President’s Seizure of Powers Threatens Rights

A Dangerous Move Capitalizes on Popular Frustration

(Tunis) – Tunisian President Kais Saied should safeguard the human rights of all Tunisians and reverse any repressive measures taken since announcing July 25 measures that largely concentrate powers in his office, Human Rights Watch said today. On…
Kais Saied during the sworn ceremony in Bardo, Tunis, Tunisia on October 23, 2019.
News

Joint Letter on Prison Conditions

Somsak Thepsutin Minister of Justice 404 Chaeng Wattana Road Thung Song Hong, Lak Si Bangkok, Thailand   July 19, 2021 Re: Urgently address overcrowding, protect prisoners’ health during COVID-19 crisis   Dear Mr. Somsak,…
In this photo released by the Department of Corrections, COVID-19 prisoners sit inside a field hospital set up at the Medical Correctional Institution to treat COVID-19 inmates in Bangkok, Thailand on May 8, 2021.
News

Cambodia: Solve Thai Activist’s ‘Disappearance’

One Year Anniversary of Wanchalearm Satsaksit’s Abduction

(New York) – The Cambodian authorities have failed to seriously investigate the enforced disappearance of the prominent Thai activist Wanchalearm Satsaksit in Phnom Penh one year ago, Human Rights Watch said today. During this time, Thailand’s…
Sitanun Satsaksit holds a portrait of her brother, Wanchalearm, who was forcibly disappeared while living in exile in Cambodia on June 4, 2020. 
News

Thailand: Child Prosecuted for Insulting Monarchy

Drop Politically Motivated Charges Against Children

(New York) – Thai authorities should immediately and unconditionally drop insulting the monarchy and other politically motivated charges against children who peacefully express their opinions, Human Rights Watch said today. On May 24, 2021, the…
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Myanmar: Thai State-Owned Company Funds Junta

Oil and Gas Firm PTT Should Cut Ties with Military Enterprises, Abusive Cronies

(Bangkok) – Thailand’s majority state-owned oil and gas company, PTT, is partnering with military-linked companies to expand its engagement in Myanmar, Human Rights Watch said today. This growth comes on top of the half a billion dollars PTT already…
Anti-coup protesters run from teargas deployed by the police during a demonstration in Yangon, Myanmar, March 1, 2021.
News

Thailand: Covid-19 Outbreaks in Prisons

Accelerate Releases; Improve Protection, Medical Care in Detention Facilities

(New York) – People held in Thailand’s overcrowded prisons and detention facilities are at grave risk from Covid-19 outbreaks. The Thai authorities should immediately act to ensure that prisoners and detainees have access to adequate protective…
In this photo released by the Department of Corrections, COVID-19 prisoners sit inside a field hospital set up at the Medical Correctional Institution to treat COVID-19 inmates in Bangkok, Thailand on May 8, 2021.