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Dadparvar
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Human Rights Watch on Thursday condemned the decision of authorities in Thailand in bringing criminal defamation lawsuits against two renowned journalists who reported on a bribery case, citing the importance of safeguarding press freedom as a cornerstone of democratic society.
In late February 2026, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, Suchart Chomklin, had filed criminal defamation lawsuits against two journalists, Hathairat Phaholtap and Kowit Photisan, editors at the news organization, Isaan Record.
The criminal suits were in relation to Facebook posts that Phaholtap made about a recent report uncovering Thai politicians that were taking bribes to supply workers to berry companies in Finland and were actively involved in trafficking them. These were further circulated by Photisan.
In commenting on the severity of the erosion of the right to press freedom in Thailand, Elaine Pearson, Asia director at Human Rights Watch stated: “[t]he criminal defamation suits against the journalists Hathairat and Kowit highlight the danger of cases filed in retaliation for reporting on human rights abuses…The courts need to ensure that such cases fully respect media freedom.”
Chomklin is seeking approximately 50 million Baht (approx. $1.5 million USD) in damages from Phaholtap and 1 million Baht (approx. $300,000 USD) in damages from Photisan, initiating a high-stakes legal battle that human rights activists have branded a classic ‘SLAPP’ lawsuit, intended to undermine independent journalism. The main idea behind a SLAPP lawsuit is not merely to punish the individual or organization, but also to “set an example,” creating a hostile atmosphere for the dissemination of investigative reporting.
SLAPP suits are rightly criticized for placing economic pressure on defendants. First, they can lead to a defendant potentially facing bankruptcy due to being unable to pay the plaintiff, who is often a wealthy individual. The second is that cases can drag for years.
The current charges facing Phaholtap and Photisan are brought under Section 326 of the Criminal Code which punishes any individual imputing a third person in a manner likely to cause reputational harm, which results in a 20,000 Baht fine. Section 328 of the Criminal Code also applies, since the alleged defamation was done via the circulation of a Facebook post, leading to penalties of a two-year imprisonment and a fine of 200,000 Baht.
The post Defamation lawsuits against Thai journalists draw criticism from rights groups appeared first on JURIST - News.
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In late February 2026, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, Suchart Chomklin, had filed criminal defamation lawsuits against two journalists, Hathairat Phaholtap and Kowit Photisan, editors at the news organization, Isaan Record.
The criminal suits were in relation to Facebook posts that Phaholtap made about a recent report uncovering Thai politicians that were taking bribes to supply workers to berry companies in Finland and were actively involved in trafficking them. These were further circulated by Photisan.
In commenting on the severity of the erosion of the right to press freedom in Thailand, Elaine Pearson, Asia director at Human Rights Watch stated: “[t]he criminal defamation suits against the journalists Hathairat and Kowit highlight the danger of cases filed in retaliation for reporting on human rights abuses…The courts need to ensure that such cases fully respect media freedom.”
Chomklin is seeking approximately 50 million Baht (approx. $1.5 million USD) in damages from Phaholtap and 1 million Baht (approx. $300,000 USD) in damages from Photisan, initiating a high-stakes legal battle that human rights activists have branded a classic ‘SLAPP’ lawsuit, intended to undermine independent journalism. The main idea behind a SLAPP lawsuit is not merely to punish the individual or organization, but also to “set an example,” creating a hostile atmosphere for the dissemination of investigative reporting.
SLAPP suits are rightly criticized for placing economic pressure on defendants. First, they can lead to a defendant potentially facing bankruptcy due to being unable to pay the plaintiff, who is often a wealthy individual. The second is that cases can drag for years.
The current charges facing Phaholtap and Photisan are brought under Section 326 of the Criminal Code which punishes any individual imputing a third person in a manner likely to cause reputational harm, which results in a 20,000 Baht fine. Section 328 of the Criminal Code also applies, since the alleged defamation was done via the circulation of a Facebook post, leading to penalties of a two-year imprisonment and a fine of 200,000 Baht.
The post Defamation lawsuits against Thai journalists draw criticism from rights groups appeared first on JURIST - News.
Continue reading...
Note: We don't have any responsibilities about this news. Its been posted here by Feed Reader and we had no controls and checking on it. And because News posted here will be deleted automatically after 21 days, threads are closed so that no one spend time to post and discuss here. You can always check the source and discuss in their site.