About 360 university scholars and students have signed a petition asking the Supreme Court president to temporarily release lese majeste suspect Jatupat "Pai Dao Din" Boonpattararaksa.
University scholars gather at the Supreme Court on Chaeng Watthana Road to petition the Supreme Court president to approve the temporary release of lese majeste suspect Jatupat Boonpattararaksa, who will apply for bail again Wednesday. (Photo by Pattanapong Hirunard)
The group, led by Anuson Unno, dean of Thammasat University's Faculty of Sociology and Anthropology, questioned why five bail requests for Mr Jatupat had been turned down by the courts even though he needs to sit examinations at Khon Kaen University and has never tried to flee justice.
The bail rejections reflect a "degradation of the state of law and rights violations," according to a petition sent Monday to representatives of the Supreme Court.
Mr Anuson said his group believes many people who have different opinions to the military-sponsored government have not seen their rights protected by laws.
This should serve as a wake-up call for officials in the justice system to open their minds and start thinking more seriously about how people feel.
Some people even "dare criticise the courts via online social media", Mr Anuson said, describing the situation as a crisis of faith.
Mr Jatupat, who is known for his anti-coup stance, has been detained and charged with breaking Section 112 of the Criminal Code, known as the lese majeste law, and the Computer Crime Act since last year, after he shared an article that appeared on the BBC Thai website.
He was first released on 400,000-baht surety but was taken back into custody on Dec 22 because he did not delete the shared article from his Facebook page and posted photos that allegedly mocked the authority of the state.
His family and lawyers tried unsuccessfully to ask the court to free him on bail.
Mr Anuson, also a coordinator of the Thai Academic Network for Civil Rights, said he saw no reason why Mr Jatupat should not be granted bail.
Deleting the shared article on Mr Jatupat's Facebook page was not a condition for temporary release set by the court, he said, adding the suspect also said he needed to keep it posted for use as evidence in court hearings.
The photos which "symbolise" Mr Jatupat's alleged defiance of the state, in Mr Anuson's view, should not be used as a reason to reject his bail requests.
In the petition submitted Monday, Mr Anuson's group wants the court to reconsider a new bail request, which will be filed tomorrow by Mr Jatupat as authorities will also ask the court on the same day to extend his detention.
Mr Anuson said his network will closely monitor the court ruling.
If the bail request is rejected again, Mr Anuson said group will launch a fresh move to call for better protection of Mr Jatupat's rights by working with international agencies specialising in matters of justice.
Also on Monday, Amnesty International called for the temporary release of Mr Jatupat.