Da Torpedo and Amnesty International
Andrew Spooner at Asia Provocateur has another scoop. This time a provocative attck on Benjamin Zawacki of Amnesty International for collusion with the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the imprisonment of Darunee Charnchoensilpakul. She is currently jailed for 18 years on the political charge of lese majeste, and in jail awaiting the outcome of various appeals and likely re-trials.
Spooner say:
Readers could also begin to be curious why the likes of Amnesty International haven't yet taken up Da Torpedo's case in what appears to be as clear cut an example of Prisoner of Conscience. Back in 2009, just after Da's imprisonment, Benjamin Zawacki, Amnesty International's International Secretariat's Thai based researcher said this regarding her sentence and the use of lese majeste.
Zawacki has been the subject of considerable criticism here at PPT, as has AI for its "behind closed doors approach to lese majeste, where it apparently deals with the political jailers and ignores those jailed.
Spooner adds:
As well as stating that Amnesty could see why the monarchy needed protecting from a political speech with an 18-year prison sentence, it should also be noted that Mr. Zawacki, according to evidence I have seen, seemingly colluded with Thailand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs in putting out the message that the contents of Da's speech were "violent", and therefore "Prisoner of Conscience" status could not be given to her.
This is a very serious accusation. Zawacki and AI need to respond. Are they colluding with a government that imprisons people for political crimes?
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