Freedom of Expression, Academic Freedom and Human Rights Conditions in Thailand (2025)

Photo: Thailand - mikigroup

Thailand's constitution nominally protects freedom of expression, but in practice speech — particularly online speech — is heavily restricted through the Computer Crimes Act, lèse-majesté law (Section 112), and sedition provisions. Academic freedom has been curtailed through the prosecution of scholars and the self-censorship generated by broad legal liability. The 2023 elections — despite being nominally free — resulted in the blockade of the most popular party, Move Forward, which had campaigned for Section 112 reform. This report draws on Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Scholars at Risk, and Article 19.

Computer Crimes Act and Online Censorship

Thailand's Computer Crimes Act (2007, amended 2017) criminalises importing "false" information that causes public panic or damages national security, with penalties of up to five years' imprisonment. The law has been used to prosecute journalists, academics, and social media users for content critical of the government, military, or monarchy. Article 19 documented a significant increase in CCA prosecutions between 2020 and 2023, with defendants including journalists from mainstream outlets as well as ordinary citizens for social media posts.[1]

Academic Freedom Under Pressure

Scholars at Risk has documented multiple cases of Thai academics facing prosecution, harassment, or dismissal for research and public commentary on politically sensitive topics — including Thailand's southern insurgency, the monarchy, and the military's role in politics. Self-censorship is pervasive in Thai universities: a 2023 survey found that 72% of Thai academics reported avoiding research topics with political sensitivity. International academics working on Thailand have also received warnings or been denied visas following publication of critical research.[2]

Thai academia has not been shut down — it has been hollowed out. The chilling effect of Section 112 and the CCA means that entire fields of inquiry — monarchy, military politics, southern Thailand — are effectively off-limits to Thai researchers.
Scholars at Risk, Academic Freedom Monitor — Thailand, 2023

Media Landscape and Self-Censorship

Thailand's media landscape is dominated by outlets owned by or closely linked to the military and established business elites. Independent media exists — particularly online — but operates under significant legal risk. Multiple online news outlets have been prosecuted, ordered to remove content, or had their founders arrested under the CCA. In 2021, Thai authorities issued blocking orders for Prachatai, one of the country's most prominent independent news outlets, before the order was reversed under international pressure.[3]