A pro-democracy protester, who is serving two years and four months jail term on a lèse majesté conviction, was ordered to be released on bail by the Supreme Court today (Friday).
The convict, 26-year-old Sitthichoke Setthasavet, a food delivery rider, is currently being treated at Thammasat University Hospital after beginning a hunger strike on January 25th, to protest against his conviction.
The protester’s lawyer sought bail for him with the Appeals Court, which rejected the application. He then took the Appeals Court’s decision to the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court’s ruling, which was read by the Criminal Court today, said that the two years and four months’ sentence imposed by the Criminal Court on the defendant is not heavy and that the defendant has been granted bail before.
There is also no reason to believe that the defendant will abscond during his temporary release, the Supreme Courtruled and set bail at 130,000 baht.
Two other hunger strikers, Tantawan Tuatulanon and Orawan Phuphong, are still under close observation by doctors at Thammasat University Hospital.
On Thursday, the Criminal Court granted bail to a protesting vocational student on 100,000 baht surety, on the grounds that there is no reason to believe that he will abscond or interfere with evidence or witnesses, but he was required them to wear an electronic monitoring tag.
Another protester, also a vocation student, was denied bail by the Criminal Court on the grounds that his bail application had been rejected before and there was no reason to change the decision.
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