Pro-democracy activist Parit released on bail after 6 months
Pro-democracy activist Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak was released from Bangkok Remand Prison at 7.15pm on Thursday after the Bangkok South Criminal Court granted bail to the Thammasat University student activist.
Parit had been detained for six months and 15 days while awaiting trials on multiple charges relating to his protest activities, including lese majeste and sedition.
Parit’s bail was set at 200,000 baht in cash. The court also set six bail conditions: he must not defame the monarch or courts; obstruct the justice system; participate in rallies that could cause public unrest, either in person or via social media; leave his residence from 6pm to 6am, unless he has a medical emergency or permission from the court; leave the country without court permission; and he must wear an electronic monitoring device.
On Wednesday, the Bangkok South Criminal Court denied bail to democracy activist Arnon Nampa. The court ruled that reasons for release cited by his lawyer – that Arnon wanted to take care of his family and earn a living – were insufficient to overturn the Appeal Court’s ruling against granting bail.
In Parit’s case, the court had said on Wednesday it would consider bail only if he presented official evidence that he had registered for his second semester Thammasat University as specified in his bail request.
