Thailand Marked by Deep Political Instability and Sharp Decline in Human Rights Protection

Despite its election to the UN Human Rights Council for 2025-2027, the country led by Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul struggles to translate its international commitments into concrete actions, allowing systemic abuses to persist. On the eve of snap elections, this 529-page report paints a damning picture, calling for an urgent reversal of the trend.

Photo : Human Rights Watch

Political Instability and Judicial Interference

2025 was marked by major political upheavals. The Constitutional Court ousted Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra after less than a year in power, citing motives deemed dubious by observers. The Anutin Charnvirakul government, born from this crisis, has made little progress on promised democratic reforms after years of military junta rule. HRW notes a growing judicial intervention in politics, undermining emerging democratic institutions.

Nearly 2,000 people face criminal charges for exercising their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.

Major political parties, ahead of the February 8 vote, do not prioritize human rights in their platforms. The draconian lèse-majesté law (Article 112), which criminalizes insults to the monarchy, remains an intact tool of repression: 287 people are languishing in prison for this reason, with no reforms in sight. "Freedom of expression does not really exist," laments Sunai Phasuk, HRW's senior researcher for Thailand. Elaine Pearson, HRW's director for Asia, urges the Prime Minister to take concrete measures to stop this "backsliding" on rights.

Repression of Fundamental Freedoms

Thai authorities systematically resort to sedition, cybercrime, and lèse-majesté laws to silence critics and protesters. Activists, journalists, and opponents face harassment, intimidation, and prosecutions. Human rights defenders, including women, endure physical, sexual, and online violence without adequate state protection. HRW denounces the lack of prosecutions against perpetrators, perpetuating a climate of impunity.

Persistent Conflict in the Deep South

Since 2004, the conflict in the Muslim-majority southern provinces (Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat, Songkhla) has claimed over 7,000 lives. Insurgents from the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) target civilians and tourist sites, but Thai security forces commit torture, extrajudicial executions, and enforced disappearances without ever being held accountable.

Thailand has not ratified the Safe Schools Declaration, and child soldier recruitment persists. Peace talks are stalled, worsening the suffering of local populations.

Border Clashes with Cambodia

Violent clashes with Cambodia in July and December 2025 caused deaths and injuries among civilians, including children, destroying homes, temples, and medical infrastructure.

Thailand stands accused of using cluster munitions, prohibited by international law, while indiscriminate strikes were reported. These incidents heighten regional tensions, without effective resolution mechanisms.

Refugee and Migrant Crisis: A Mixed Record

Not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention, Thailand exposes asylum seekers and migrants to arbitrary arrests and forced refoulements to countries where they risk torture or persecution. In February 2025, 40 Uyghurs were extradited to China, and a Montagnard activist to Vietnam, despite UN warnings. Over 100,000 Burmese refugees lost food aid and healthcare after U.S. budget cuts.

Rohingyas languish in indefinite detention.

A positive note: since October 2025, Burmese refugees in border camps can work legally, improving access to basic services. However, hundreds of thousands of Cambodian workers fled after the clashes, victims of ultranationalist xenophobic campaigns. Thailand has become a "hotbed" of transnational repression, where exiles critical of neighboring regimes are hunted.

Enforced Disappearances, Torture, and Impunity

Despite its UN commitments, Thailand has made no progress in effectively ratifying conventions against torture and enforced disappearances. The 2022 law on these crimes remains inadequate to international standards.

The murder of a Cambodian opponent in Bangkok in January 2025 heightens fears among exiled dissidents. Rights defenders face reprisals from state agencies and private companies, without judicial recourse.

Toward an Uncertain Future

Ahead of the February 8, 2026 elections, HRW urges the Anutin government to use Thailand's Human Rights Council seat to strengthen domestic freedoms. Without reforms—amnesty for political prisoners, repeal of repressive laws, protection for refugees—Thailand's international credibility erodes. This report warns: the current backsliding threatens the very foundations of Thai democracy.