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(Bangkok)- Thailand Human Rights Watch said today that authorities should conduct a fair and transparent investigation into the death of Netiporn “Bung” Sanesangkhom, an anti-monarchy activist detained in Bangkok. Prime Minister Srettha Tavisin promised ask Her death in Bangkok raised concerns that prison officials may have been negligent in referring her for life-saving medical treatment.
“Thai Prime Minister Srettha should immediately follow through on his promise to investigate Netiporn’s death in custody,” Elaine Pearson“It is critical that any officials implicated in his death are held accountable and that detainees and prisoners have access to adequate medical treatment.”
Netiporn, 28, suffered a cardiac arrest at the Bangkok Central Correctional Institution for Women at approximately 6:20 a.m. on May 14, 2024. Medical staff at the prison hospital reportedly attempted to revive her, including intubating her, but apparently were unsuccessful.
After a three-hour delay, she was transferred to Thammasat University Hospital at 9:30 a.m. The coroner’s report, seen by Human Rights Watch, said Netiporn had no vital signs when she arrived at the hospital and noted that “the intubation was incorrect.” She was pronounced dead at 11:20 a.m.
Netiporn is one of about 270 activists charged lèse majesté (Insult the monarchy) The offences she was charged with were related to an investigation into the inconvenience caused to the Thai public by the royal motorcade after pro-democracy protests broke out in Thailand in 2020.
In January, Netiporn was jailed for contempt of court, and her bail was extended after a lese majeste case was dropped. She began a hunger strike, drinking only water sporadically for 110 days, to demand an end to the prosecution of dissidents accused of lese majeste and to deny them bail.
“Prime Minister Srettha should follow through on his promise to investigate the circumstances of Naitipol’s death in prison and hold officials accountable if their actions contributed to her death,” Pearson said. “Abuse and impunity in Thailand’s prisons should not be allowed to be the norm.”
Kritsadang Nutcharus of Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, who is representing Netiporn’s family, claimed that the prison department had delayed handing over her medical records to him and her family despite repeated requests.
Thailand has an obligation under international human rights law to provide health care to all persons deprived of their liberty. The United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, an independent expert body that monitors States’ compliance with the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, to which Thailand is a party, noted in its general comment on the right to the highest attainable standard of health that governments have an obligation to respect the right to health and “shall not deny or restrict the right of all persons, including prisoners or detainees, to equal access to preventive, curative and palliative health care….”
The United Nations Basic Principles for the Treatment of Prisoners stipulates: “Prisoners should have the right to enjoy the health services provided by the country without discrimination on the basis of their legal status.” The United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners are known as the “Nelson Mandela Rules” states that “prisons should ensure that prisoners have access to timely medical treatment in emergency situations. Prisoners who require specialist treatment or surgery should be transferred to specialist institutions or public hospitals.”
Hundreds of people accused of criticizing Thailand’s monarchy are currently being held in pretrial detention without bail.
Human Rights Watch joins the UN Human Rights Committee, the UN Special Rapporteurs on freedom of expression and opinion, on the rights to peaceful assembly and of association, and the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention in urging the Thai government to end its arbitrary detention of government critics and its imposition of disproportionate restrictions on the legitimate exercise of the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.
Thailand is seeking a seat on the UN Human Rights Council from 2025 to 2027, but has not yet taken any steps reform lèse majeste law or moratorium on prosecution or pre-trial detention Human Rights Watch said it was critical of the monarchy.
“The United Nations and the governments involved should press for an immediate and transparent investigation into Netiporn’s death,” Pearson said. “Prime Minister Srettha should stop prosecuting people peacefully calling for reform and at least ensure those arrested for insulting the monarchy are released on bail.”
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