UPR 39th session - Statement by Sweden in the review of Thailand

President,

Sweden welcomes Thailand’s efforts to improve the situation for human rights in the world of work by adopting a National Action Plan on business and human rights in 2019, as suggested in the previous UPR recommendation. Sweden remains deeply concerned about the restrictions on freedom of expression, online and offline, and freedom of association, including the draft bill on Not-for Profit Organisations, and would like to make the following recommendations:

1. Ratify ILO core conventions no 87 and no 98 and amend the labour law to facilitate and allow freedom of association for trade unions, for both nationals and non-nationals.

2. Amend article 112 of the Criminal Code on royal defamation to bring it into line with Thailand’s international human rights obligations under the ICCPR and as an intermediate step, remove mandatory minimum prison terms for violations of that provision.

3. Explicitly prohibit in law any form of corporal punishment or other cruel or degrading punishment of children in all settings, including in schools and at home, as previously recommended.

Thank you