Chutima Sidasathian, a journalist on three counts of criminal defamation, was found not guilty by a judge in the province of Nakhon Ratchasima today.  ,
The judge stated in her decision that Chutima had the right to legitimately criticize neighborhood executives. The court’s remarks were viewed by observers as a broad support for the Thai government’s right to freedom of expression.
Chutima stated in a statement after her court triumph that she was pleased with the outcome. She demanded that Thailand’s government reform the “vicious rules” that have been used against her twice in the past ten years, first as an investigative columnist and then as a community activist.
” Today’s success does not avoid the same people or another from suing me once more,” she said. All that is necessary to protect careers is civil libel. The government must repeal these harsh criminal defamation laws because they solitude legitimate debate and criticism.
Thanonthorn Kaveekitratrattana, the mayor of Banlang sub-district and Thanonthorn Kaveekitrattana, brought all three claims against Chutima. The municipal attorney’s office is likely to receive additional six charges brought by the sub-district governor.  ,
A maximum sentence of two years in prison and a sizable excellent is imposed on each command. Journalists and activists are when charged and labeled as” criminals.”
On Friday ( March 8 ), which coincides with International Women’s Day, Chutima and her legal team will submit a compelling submission asking the Korat Prosecutor to drop the remaining six cases.
According to Chutima,” Advocates and editors may be protected, no persecuted by the state.” ” People who speak out on behalf of another deserve to be heard, not to face false accusations and lengthy prison sentences.”
Mayor Thanonthorn claimed that the charges he brought were “personal” and no political, but Chutima’s paid investigation, conducted over the course of two years, exposed a startling neighborhood banking scandal in which the president’s name was frequently mentioned.  ,
The governor filed criminal defamation costs at two regional police stations as a result of Chutima’s standard Facebook posts, which were intended to inform and empower villagers who had fallen for the banking scam. Because it is” their duty,” Thai authorities embrace all situations.
In addition, the people continued to experience mental stress as a result of being forced to pay back debts that, in many cases, they rarely saw while the swindlers continued to go , unnoticed.
Numerous unnatural premature deaths have been linked to the scandal , with inequality in Thailand heightened by law enforcement’s disregard for the people ‘ requests for assistance.  ,
A video produced by a fly-in Al Jazeera staff and a report from an 18-person Special Commission of Investigation, triggered by Chutima’s exposes, are expected to reveal the responsible parties who reportedly misdirected thousands of baht in the community banking fraud.  ,
It’s not the first day Chutima has come under unfair slander pressure. In what became known as the Phuketwan test, which is named after their small, now-defunct online media outlet, a prosecutor found the then-reporter and her writer, the author of this article, no criminal of , criminal libel, and computer crimes brought by the Royal Thai Navy .  ,
A paragraph from a Reuters have collection that ultimately won a Pulitzer prize was included in a news report published by Phuketwan . Instead of filing a complaint, the admirals  may have merely made a phone call to Phuketwan or Reuters and sought an explanation for the negative impact on the military’s reputation.  ,
The Phuketwan conviction, which was frequently reported by Thai national and international press, was anticipated to increase freedom of expression. Criminal defamation charges have since grown rapidly, making Thai media yet more self-censored and risk-averse.  ,
Except for Morison and his former Phuketwan reporter, who wrote in the Asia , Times, Chutima ‘s , case has largely been unreported in Thailand. The president has 30 days to file an appeal, and the judge’s complete comments will be made in 10 weeks.  ,
Whether it’s win or lose in court, the punishments for criminal defamation for reporters, advocates, and   are severe, with the result frequently being unfair. Immediately after the court ruling, Phuketwan closed, this author lost some of her savings, and Chutima was forced to leave her loving work.  ,
She has now endured unnecessary expenses, standard police interviews, identification, and psychological stress all over again for her whistle-blowing.
Who will bear the cost of my anguish and the loss of my money? Chutima posed a question. ” Criminal defamation punishes good people who have the bravery to speak up for others. I’ll just be able to rejoice when the Thai authorities finally repeals these rules.
Another journalists have acknowledged  that Chutima played a significant role in courageously exposing the horrors of the Rohingya people’s smuggling in Thailand between 2008 and 2016.
She served as a “fixer” for Reuters on their Pulitzer Prize-winning film, assisted Pulitzer Prize success Ian Urbina on his ground-breaking New York Times set on slavery at sea, and was area supplier on the award-winning video” Ghost Fleet.”
Her single investigation into the community bank scandal is expected to have a significant impact on how the Thai government provides financial aid to farmers all over the country.  ,
Prior to declaring Chutima a human rights advocate last year, Thailand’s Human Rights Commission conducted an investigation, and the cases against her were Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation ( SLAPP ).
Chutima ‘s , two-day trial was monitored by TrialWatch, an arm of the Clooney Foundation for Justice, and will soon release a detailed report.  ,
The court heard the ruling today, along with representatives from the International Commission of Jurists, the Human Rights Lawyers ‘ Association of Thailand, the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, and the opposition’s Move , Forward Party.
Sr Law, London-based Media Defence, UN leaders, Human Rights Watch, Doctors ‘ Rights Watch Canada, Article 19, the Coalition for Women in Journalism, and the organizers of the annual UK Anti-SLAPP conference in London, which she attended last year, acknowledged Chutima’s support.  ,