Press Release
National Human Rights Commission of Thailand (NHRCT) 
On the Presentation of News Footages Violating the Human Dignity
 

               The mass communication plays a significant role in the dissemination of information and updates in the society.  Such dissemination can urge emotions of receivers on information presented through media on demand. Today, the numbers of channels for transmitting information have increased in the form of electronic system, such as Facebook, Twitter, Line or websites of main-stream mass media, in which focus on the width and rapidity of dissemination on the internet.

                According to the incident occurring from the offence of raping and murdering a teacher in Saraburi province, it was considered the most serious criminal offence and the most serious violation of human rights of women causing fears among people. From such incident, many pictures of the dead body were taken to display in various characteristics, i.e. full, blurred and partly covered on websites and other online media channels.

                The National Human Rights Commission of Thailand (NHRCT), which has roles and duties to promote the respect and implementation following the principle of human rights and protect the respect of rights and freedoms in life and body, including human rights of women and the gender sensitivity, were sorrowful about the violence and concerned about the feeling of family members of the dead person. At the same time, there were concerns about the dissemination of victim’s photographs on the online media and news websites. Therefore, the NHRCT recommended and asked all sectors to be concerned about and conduct in the way as follows: 

               1. The mass media is asked to present news by following the morals and ethics of mass media. The presentation must not disclose faces, names and surnames of suspects, injured persons or relatives. The explanation of actions of crime, voices of confession, the presentation of body must be avoided because it is against the law and violate the human dignity which is the main mission of mass media and the principle of profession.

               2.  People and members of social media are asked to stop posting photographs of victim, a dead teacher, on the online media, including the record of online media usage of the victim. All this, it is an act of respect to rights of the dead person based on the understanding and sympathy to the family of the dead person. 

               3. Ministry of Information and Communication Technology is asked to strictly supervise and enforce the law on transferring Computer Data traffic on the computer network affecting the reputation of other people.

               4. Anyone who sees a dead person or sufferer who is naked or in any inappropriate condition is asked not to take a photo. The photo is possible to be disseminated online and cause the violation of human dignity of the person appearing in the photo.

               5. All sectors are asked to realize the respect of value and dignity of women. Related agencies are asked to speed up the establishment of necessary measures to protect women and girls treated by the violence of all kinds of sexual harassment and to provide the rehabilitation, remedy for injured persons and their family, especially the mental remedy, in order to restore the human dignity to injured persons and their family as soon as possible.

                All this, the National Human Rights Commission of Thailand (NHRCT) aims for promoting and protecting human rights and will further be a part of the creation of the society respecting human rights.

 
 National Human Rights Commission of Thailand
6th July 2016
 

06/07/2016