This article was originally published on Prachatai.
The South Bangkok Criminal Court has refused to allow activist Patsaravalee Tanakitvibulpon to travel to Brazil to attend a workshop on human rights and democracy communication, in which she is one of only 40 participants.
Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR) said on Wednesday (8 April) that Patsaravalee petitioned the court to attend the Digital Comms Frontlines 2026 workshop in São Paulo, Brazil, between 14 – 17 April.
Patsaravalee wrote in her petition that she is currently a campaign officer for the Constitution Advocacy Alliance, a constitutional amendment campaign network, and that she signed up for the workshop for capacity building. She noted that the workshop is an international event for human rights and democracy communicators, in which only 40 participants have been selected from around the world. She has been participating in online workshops since February, and is required to attend the in-person workshop in São Paulo. If she cannot attend, she will not be able to complete her training and will miss out on a learning opportunity that could help her improve her work.
Although she noted that no hearing has been scheduled during the time she intends to travel, the Court denied her petition on the grounds that the trial has been ongoing for a long time. It also noted that several others who have been allowed to travel have fled the country.
Patsaravalee was charged with royal defamation and sedition in relations to a 26 October 2020 protest in front of the German Embassy in Bangkok. One of her bail conditions was that she is not allowed to leave the country without court permission.
During the 26 October 2020 protest, protesters marched to the German Embassy in Bangkok to submit a petition calling for the German authorities to investigate King Vajiralongkorn’s use of power during his time in Germany.
This is not the first time the South Bangkok Criminal Court has denied travel requests made by defendants in the embassy protest case. Ravisara Eksgool, who was charged with royal defamation for reading a statement at the protest, filed a request with the Court to leave the country to travel to Germany in 2022 to study for a master’s degree after receiving a German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) scholarship. Her request was denied 7 times before permission was granted on several conditions, including that she not attend protests that damage the monarchy either in Thailand or Germany.
Suthini (last name withheld), another protester charged for reading a statement at the protest, also had her petition denied when she requested court permission to leave the country in 2025 to study for a master’s degree in Germany on an Erasmus scholarship.