Jatupat Boonpattararaksa, commonly known as Pai Dao Din is a human rights defender and activist from Thailand, who was arrested on 3 December 2016 on charges of Lese-majeste in Thailand, the first such case under King Vajiralongkorn, following which he faced a secret trial and was then imprisoned.
18 Facts About Jatupat Boonpattararaksa
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Jatupat Boonpattararaksa has been charged and imprisoned multiple times, including for sedition, and most recently, on 9 March 2021, was charged and imprisoned for lese majesty a second time.
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Jatupat Boonpattararaksa's father, Viboon Boonpattararaksa, is a community lawyer who has sought to represent villagers assassinated on social justice cases, such as protecting the environment.
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Jatupat Boonpattararaksa teaches traditional Northeast Thai musical instruments to school students.
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Jatupat Boonpattararaksa was politically active as part of the Dao Din Group and a founding member in 2015 of the New Democracy Movement.
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Subsequently, the Dao Din group was granted an award by Thailand's National Human Rights Commission, which Jatupat Boonpattararaksa accepted on behalf of the group.
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Jatupat Boonpattararaksa was arrested alongside other members of the Dao Din Group in 22 May 2015 and detained; he was later released pending an investigation.
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Jatupat Boonpattararaksa went on hunger strike and was released on bail.
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In June 2017, Jatupat Boonpattararaksa finished his bachelor's degree while being in prison.
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Jatupat Boonpattararaksa was accused of lese majeste and was arrested on 3 December 2016 for "sharing" on his Facebook page a BBC Thai biography of King Vajiralongkorn as well as distributing material against Thailand's draft constitution.
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Jatupat Boonpattararaksa was the first person to be arrested for lese majeste during the new King's reign.
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Jatupat Boonpattararaksa initially pleaded innocent as he wanted to utilize his case to demonstrate to the public the injustices of the judicial process.
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Several human rights groups have voiced outrage at the persecution of Jatupat Boonpattararaksa and have initiated movements calling for justice.
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Jatupat Boonpattararaksa was released on 10 May 2019, shortly before the end of his term as the result of a royal pardon.
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On 28 August, as part of the 2020 Thai protests, Jatupat Boonpattararaksa turned himself in following a protest that resulted in a police summons; he has been charged with sedition.
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Jatupat Boonpattararaksa was detained for questioning for up to 12 days and is facing 12 charges, while 19 fellow activists are facing 10 charges.
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On 8 March 2021, Jatupat Boonpattararaksa was again charged with lese majesty and imprisoned awaiting trial, along with protest leaders Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul and Panupong Jadnok, for speeches they made on 19 September 2020, demanding reform of the monarchy.
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In 2017 Jatupat Boonpattararaksa, while detained in a military court, was awarded the Gwangju Prize for Human Rights in recognition of his struggle against military dictatorship.