The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has indicated that the actions of police officers who released photos and video of a 14-year-old boy who killed three people during a shooting rampage at Siam Paragon last October violated his human rights.
NHRC commissioner Wasan Paileeklee said on Friday that the commission had received complaints filed by the Union for Civil Liberty in November regarding the dissemination of images and video clips of the young offender on social media.
He said children are protected under the constitution, the Child Protection Act 2003 and the Juvenile and Family Court and Procedure Act 2010, as well as by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The commission considered whether the case involved a violation of human rights under legal principles and relevant human rights principles, he explained.
It found the police allowed or neglected to prevent a third party from photographing the crime scene and disseminating images and video footage of the minor and his identification card, which violated the privacy, reputation and rights of the child and his family.
Three people died — two at the scene and one in hospital later — at the hands of the 14-year-old, who had bought a blank gun online and had it modified.
His initial responses to police questioning after the shootings on Oct 3 pointed to signs of mental illness. Doctors subsequently determined that he needed treatment and he was sent to a psychiatric hospital.
Regarding a complaint that the young offender was detained and interrogated without the presence of psychologists or social workers, Mr Wasan said the police may have acted according to the law to control the situation and prevent further harm to the public.
However, their management of the crime scene lacked caution and was considered violating the child's rights, it said.
The NHRC this week agreed to urge the Royal Thai Police to verify the facts pertaining to the case.
