Angkhana Neelapaijit

Cases
Location of case in SG report
2018-053-901
Relevant SG report
Year of the report
2018
Country Geolocation

Latitude: 15.870032

Longitude: 100.992541

Country Geolocation (linked Cases)
Thailand
From Region
UN body that raised the case prior to the SG report
  • UN Special Procedures: Thematic
Dates of prior UN action
13 September 2017
Type of record
Named individual
Gender
Female
Was the victim a foreign national?
No
Was the victim a minor?
No
Individual's/organization's activity

Commissioner of the National Human Rights Commission of Thailand; individual recipients of a grant of the UN Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture (see followup)

Type of rights defended
  • Civil/political rights
Was the victim a civil servant or member of the security forces or of the judiciary?
No
Engagement with UN body
  • Unclear
Dates of engagement
Unclear
Type of attempted engagement
  • Unclear
Dates of mentioned reprisals
Unclear
Reprisal information

reportedly subject to an online smear campaign, accusing them of bias and misinformation, and associating their human rights advocacy with the promotion of insurgency and separatist movements (THA 6/2017)

Types of reprisals suffered
  • Defamation / Defamation campaign
  • Online harassment
Alleged/likely perpetrators
Unclear
Was the reprisal based on new legislation?
No
Does the report make general comment about country’s environment for engagement with UN?
No
Is the country cited for a "pattern of reprisal" in the context of this case?
No
Is a pattern of reprisals mentioned otherwise in the context of this case?
No
Does the report cite "self-censorship" as an issue in the context of this case?
No
How many times has the case been followed up in subsequent SG reports?
3
In which SG report was this case followed up on? 0
2019
Follow up information provided in SG report 0
  1. The 2017 (A/HRC/36/31, para. 57 and Annex I, paras. 80–81) and 2018 (A/HRC/39/41, Annex II paras. 51–53) reports of the Secretary-General noted that grant recipients of the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture were subject to a legal complaint filed by the Royal Thai Army, dismissed in October 2017, for publishing a report on cases of torture and ill-treatment by military in the Southern Border Provinces. They were also harassed online. In September 2018, following the presentation of the 2018 report of the Secretary-General to the Human Rights Council (A/HRC/39/41), it was reported that Ms. Anghkhana Neelapaijit and other defenders were subjected to smearing on social media. For example, a photo of Ms. Neelapaijit was circulated and she was accused of manipulating the truth.
  2. On 28 June 2019, the Government responded to the allegations providing detailed comments. [...] Regarding the reported online smear campaign against Ms. Angkhana Neelapaijit, the Government shared that she filed two libel complaints on 7 June 2017 and 18 September 2017. The Royal Thai Police instructed the competent authorities to treat them as urgent cases, which are still under investigation. Preliminary findings suggest that the incidents involve fake Facebook accounts.
Followup Trends 0
No substantive information provided by SG report
Did the government respond? 0
Yes
In which SG report was this case followed up on? 1
2020
Follow up information provided in SG report 1
  1. The 2017 (A/HRC/36/31, para. 57 and Annex I, paras. 80–81), 2018 (A/HRC/39/41, Annex II paras. 51–53) and 2019 (A/HRC/42/30, Annex II, para. 101) reports of the Secretary-General drew attention to intimidation and an online smear campaign against human rights defenders, including individual recipients of a grant of the UN Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture, notably Ms. Angkhana Neelapaijit, Ms. Pornpen Khongkachonkiet and Ms. Anchana Heemmina (THA 6/2017). 82
  2. In the reporting period, the cyber harassment of political activists and defenders reporting alleged human rights violations in the Southern Border Provinces who continue to cooperate with the UN continued, with photos of Ms. Neelapaijit, Ms. Khongkachonkeit and Ms. Heeminah surfacing online with disparaging comments. Given their visibility, it is reported that these and other women defenders in particular faced online attacks and their human rights reporting and advocacy were discredited. Information was received that they were targeted for questioning the militarization and use of ill-treatment and torture by State forces, and accused of sympathizing with armed groups.
  3. On 23 July 2020, the Government responded to the note verbale sent in connection to the present report. The Government stated that both cases filed by Ms. Angkhana Neelapaijit are still under investigation, and that the Royal Thai Police has been regularly monitoring social media to check for any online harassment against her. Since 2018, no further online content directly attacking Ms. Neelapaijit has been found. According to the records of the Department of Special Investigation, Ms. Khongkachonkiet and Ms. Heemmina decided not to file criminal charges, but the relevant government agencies have accepted their request to help them identify possible online perpetrators. Meanwhile, the Government is currently revising domestic legislation in order to give better protection to human rights defenders.
Followup Trends 1
Deterioration/further reprisals
Did the government respond? 1
Yes
In which SG report was this case followed up on? 2
2021
Follow up information provided in SG report 2
  1. The 2020, 2019, 2018 and 2017 reports of the Secretary-General246 drew attention to alleged harassment, intimidation and an online smear campaign against human rights defenders who had documented cases of torture and ill-treatment by military in the Southern Border Provinces, including of individuals recipients of a grant of the UN Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture. Grant recipient Ms. Angkhana Neelapaijit, who continues to cooperate with the UN, were among those targeted (THA 6/2017).247 It was reported to OHCHR that Ms. Neelapaijit continues to be attacked on social media. On 4 November 2020, Ms. Neelapaijit filed a civil case against the Office of the Prime Minister and Royal Thai Army seeking remedy for damages related to Internal Security Operations Command of the Thai Army’s alleged disinformation and smear campaign via the pulony.blogspot.com website, which allegedly used public money to attack women human rights defenders. She petitioned to have the reported fake news, offensive content and disinformation removed. The preliminary hearing has been postponed from May to 30 July 2021 due to the COVID19 pandemic.
Followup Trends 2
Stayed same
Did the government respond? 2
No