International rights groups urge Thai govt to respect right to peaceful protest, condemn violent crackdown
International rights groups have condemned the violent crackdown on Thai pro-democracy demonstrators and urged the government to respect the right to peaceful protest enshrined in international law, of which Thailand is a signatory.
A statement signed by 13 rights groups condemned police for firing water cannon and tear gas at demonstrators on November 17 while expressing concern for the fate of protesters at Wednesday’s rally outside SCB headquarters in Bangkok. They also accused police of failing to prevent violence between pro-democracy protesters and yellow shirt royalists at Kiak Klai intersection on November 17.
The statement notes that the police crackdown and clashes left 55 protesters injured, mostly from inhaling tear gas, with a kindergartener and elementary school students among those wounded. It also resulted in six protesters suffering gunshot wounds.
The rights groups condemned what they said was “Thai police’s unnecessary and excessive use of force against peaceful protesters marching to Parliament”. They added that video posted on social media later showed police officers informing the royalist protesters that they would withdraw before seconds later abandoning their position between the two groups.
They acknowledged that some pro-democracy protesters engaged in violent conduct in responding to royalist protesters, but emphasised that the overwhelming number of protesters were entirely peaceful.
International human rights law, as expressed in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which Thailand acceded to in 1996, protects the rights to freedom of expression (article 19) and peaceful assembly (article 21). However, Thai authorities have routinely enforced censorship and stifled public assemblies, meetings, and discussions about human rights, political reforms, and the monarchy’s role in society, said the rights groups.
They note that the 2020 United Nations guidance on less-lethal weapons in law enforcement states that “water cannons should only be used in situations of serious public disorder where there is a significant likelihood of loss of life, serious injury, or the widespread destruction of property.” On the use of teargas, international standards say it should only be employed when necessary to prevent further physical harm and should not be used to disperse nonviolent demonstrations.
The rights groups also cited a November 18 statement by spokesperson for United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, who “expressed concern about the [human rights] situation in Thailand … it’s disturbing to see the repeated use of less lethal weapons against peaceful protesters, including water cannons … it’s very important that the government of Thailand refrain from the use of force and ensures the full protection of all people in Thailand who are exercising a fundamental peaceful right to protest.”
The rights groups’ joint statement was signed by Amnesty International, Article 19, ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights, Asia Democracy Network, Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL), CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation, Civil Rights Defenders, FIDH - International Federation for Human Rights, Fortify Rights, Human Rights Watch, the International Commission of Jurists and the Manushaya Foundation.
