HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS URGES THAI AUTHORITIES TO ENSURE RESPECT FOR FUNDAMENTAL FREEDOMS

25 September 2006


United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour is urging the leaders of the Council for Democratic Reform under Constitutional Monarchy (CDRM) in Thailand to ensure respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms and reinstate the country’s human rights commission.

The forcible and unconstitutional replacement of Thailand’s freely-elected Government on 19 September, the establishment of martial law, the abolition of the 1997 Constitution, the dissolution of Parliament and the Cabinet as well as the disbanding of the Constitutional Court, have raised important human rights concerns, said the High Commissioner.

The various decrees issued by the CDRM restrict a number of basic human rights, such as the right to freedom of assembly, the right to freedom of opinion and expression, and freedom from arbitrary arrest and detention. Ms. Arbour called on the CDRM to restore the maximum exercise of these rights.

The High Commissioner, who also expressed concern about the disbanding of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), recalled that Thailand is party to a number of international human rights instruments, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. She urged the CDRM to take all necessary measures to ensure that the country’s international obligations are respected and to reinstate the NHRC.

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