Swedish National On Hunger Strike In Bangkok

[webfact]

Ex-Prisoner on Hunger Strike

Katrine Bach Sigvardt

Nine years and eight months ago, Swedish Behnam “Benny” Moafi started serving a 22 year prison sentence in a Thai jail. He was convicted of extortion, blackmail, and armed robbery, but despite the court ruling he has always maintained his innocence. Even now that he is once again a free man, he is still looking for justice.

Became a lawyer in prison

One of the things, Benny did with his time in prison was studying, and he managed to get himself a law degree. Because of that, Benny is well aware of his rights and he knows that there is a law in Thailand that entitles people to have their cases re-tried. Every time he has made an attempt to do this, however, he has hit his head against a wall.

“They always tell me that they will look at my case again, but they never do. They never listen no matter how hard I try. I have a right to present my case again if there is new evidence, but they keep telling me that they can’t change the court’s decision” he says.

Hunger strike

After a while, most people might stop trying. They would accept and embrace their freedom, and leave Thailand. But not Benny. He wants justice, and today, wearing prison clothes and chains around his ankles, he started a hunger strike in front of the Government House in Bangkok.

“I’m doing this because I want to talk to the Prime Minister,” he says, and it seems like he is very determined to make that happen. He explains that a representative to the Prime Minister was sent out to look at his case, but Benny would not let him. He wants to make sure that his case reaches the highest level. He does understand, however, if the Prime Minister won’t talk to him.

“Other people might start doing the same thing, and obviously he can’t deal with two hundred people like me every day,” he says but adds that he has no intention of giving up anytime soon.

“I have gone on hunger strike three times before when I was in prison. One time I lasted 16 days,” he says.

About justice

Benny knows that he will never get the ten years he spent in prison back. Whatever he gets out of his hunger strike will not change the past, but it is not about that anymore, for him.

“I am doing this to get justice in Thailand,” he says and adds that he had to do a little trick in order to be able to stay in the country. When he was released from prison, he was actually supposed to be deported, but since that is not possible when you have an ongoing case, he quickly made a new case for himself, which is what he is working on now.

“I could go home. It is nice to be free, but I want to win my case. I have invested ten years of my life in this,” he says and makes it clear that he does not want to have spent all those years in prison for nothing.

Besides, as a lawyer, Benny has a lot of potential clients here in Thailand and he would really like to be able to stay in the country in order to help people in similar situations in the future.

“That would be great,” he says.

“I would love to help other people with legal problems, but I have to get justice for myself first.”

Source: scandasia.com

-- ScandAsia.com

2010-07-14

[Boater]

So he was sentenced to 22 years and only served 10 ... He should be very careful , as it could go the opposite was for him and he ends up serving the rest of his sentence ..

[Amerifarang]

Whatever makes you crazy Benny? Good luck!

[robblok]

So he was sentenced to 22 years and only served 10 ... He should be very careful , as it could go the opposite was for him and he ends up serving the rest of his sentence ..

If he were innocent and had a feeling of right and wrong then i can understand the guy. Its not always about money but about the feeling that you have.

[Pib]

Maybe he's shooting for a book or movie deal.

[norwayeagle]

This he will Work out! Wish more people where like him.

Someone has to start the walk.Am sure he know what he is doing!

Best of "luck

[MegaMik]

Go Benny, Go.

I'm rooting for you.

<Maybe he's shooting for a book or movie deal. > What a ignorant reply.

Ever heard about a Swede writing a book or making a movie about being wrongfully inprisoned in another country???

That might work in other countries.

Edited July 14, 2010 by MegaMik

[ianf]

There is a lot of injustice in this beautiful country, good luck to Benny

[geriatrickid]

Those with the urge to let loose with a volley of snide put-downs, should instead consider that this man is playing by the rules. He's exercising his legal rights to seek redress before the courts. His protest is peaceful and not an imposition to anyone else's rights and liberties. At the very least, he is entitled to appear before a judge who can then render a decision based upon the evidence. What we see is the same type of delay that some U.S. states employ with wrongfully convicted people on death row. The Innocence Project has cleared alot of innocent people based upon DNA evidence that prosecutors and police wanted to suppress or prevent from being used. According to the Innocence Project more than one-third of the first 250 people exonerated by DNA testing were 22 or under when they were arrested. They spent decades in jail being abused and denied their rights. If an advanced society like the USA can send people to prison, what happens in Thailand to those without the means to defend themselves and that are wrongfully condemned?

What's the alternative for this person other than the court system? Do you want him to get violent and start making things boom as has happened elsewhere in Thailand? Justice delayed is justice denied and justice denied is an indication of a corrupt judiciary. ( Corruption does not necessarily mean the taking of bribes but includes interference by political and vested interests.)

Edited July 14, 2010 by geriatrickid

[Insight]

Good luck, Benny. If the guy wanted to capitalise on the situation he would of done by now.

Edited July 14, 2010 by Mario2008
quote from delted post removed

[GarryP]

Assuming he was wrongly convicted, I wish him good luck. Sometimes it can take years. There was a Thai woman who spent a lot of time in a tree in front of government house seeking redress for something or other. It took her many years but perseverence prevailed. Mae Hai was a wellknown case too. There is nothing wrong with fighting for your rights. It beats lying down and getting shafted.

[Rucharee]

Go home Benny.

Please go home now as you can.

SOE can arrest you again, and this time, there may be no trial.

[thomo]

“I am doing this to get justice in Thailand,”

That made me laugh.

Got feeling he'll be craving the prison food within a few weeks.

[TonyBkk]

Whenever reading TVF threads there are always the same people posting negative comments, If you dont have anything useful to say why bother reply?

Edited July 14, 2010 by TonyBkk

[imaneggspurt]

The thais wont worry about anyone on hunger strike !, they will just think  " more for me " ,actually you have to admire the guy but his rights mean nothing in thailand as hes a "farang " =""

Edited July 14, 2010 by imaneggspurt

[imaneggspurt]

So he was sentenced to 22 years and only served 10 ... He should be very careful , as it could go the opposite was for him and he ends up serving the rest of his sentence ..

I was wondereing that, what about if theres a retrial and hes found guilty again !

[anon467367354]

Good for you Benny! It's so easy for the Thai justice system to throw away a foreigners life. It would just be way to much to ask for someone to admit they were wrong, it would take a real man to do that. This gov't seems to do things in order to save face and avoid becoming a laughing stock, but instead it does just the opposite. The made is Thailand Laughing Stock being used here doesn't have the head exposed to hear the laughter, but rather it's been stuck up a dark spot of ego and ignorance where all it hears is itself. You go Benny, good for you!

[snaggletooth]

Whenever reading TVF threads there are always the same people posting negative comments, If you dont have anything useful to say why bother reply?

Yes these people thrive on the misery of others. This is what anonymity on the Internet does -- makes people brave enough to say things they'd never say in public or to someone else's face.

If the man was unfairly convicted I think it's great that he's standing up for his rights. That shows character, which most people lack these days, especially on this forum.

[ThaiCMU]

People are always so quick to jump on the "silly farang" bandwagon. Just because he is a foreigner this does not mean he forfeits his right to the truth. Imagine spending 9 year in a prison for a crime that you never commited? My hat goes off to this man.

[brent]

<BR>

<BR><BR><BR>Throw enough sh*t and hope some will stick, eh?<BR><BR>Good luck, Benny. If the guy wanted to capitalise on the situation he would of done by now.<BR>

<BR><BR>Up to you if your good luck wishes go to a criminal, convicted of extortion, blackmail and armed robbery.<BR><BR>But please follow the TVF rules:<BR>30) Do not modify someone else's post in your quoted reply, either with font or color changes, added emoticons, or altered wording.<BR>

<BR><BR><BR>We are not presuming innocence here, just offering good luck in getting his case heard, as is his legal right.<IMG class=bbc_emoticon alt= src="http://static.thaivisa.com/forum/public/style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif">

[earthpig]

why did this man get 10 years for theft yet was it not just last month that an aussie was released after serving only 2 years for killing another farang in a bar? it is said that life is cheap in thailand. farang life appears here on sale at a very deep discount. it would be interesting to know if the swede was convicted of ripping of a thai or a foreigner. perhaps we could be forgiven for hazarding a cynical guess...

[TheSource]

Thats really inspiring

[brent]

Go home Benny.

Please go home now as you can.

SOE can arrest you again, and this time, there may be no trial.

Are you saying, that justice doesn't exist in the land of smiles:jap:

[EarthAlien]

Your comments are moronic,... just as is your statement that his actions are illegal according to CRES.<br>Evidently your comment is just another demonstration of Thai logic and sense of social responsibility,... maybe you'd be happy to see him leave Thailand uttering the Thai national anthem "mai pen rai"?<br><br>Many things are great about this country,.. but there are too many idiots with mental dispositions such as yours that just ruin the whole thing!<br>In fact,.. what he should be doing is appealing to the Human Rights Commission in BKK as clearly his case is a good candidate to be tested,.. something that Thailand should be more wary of now that they're a party to the Treaty on Human Rights!<br>

Edited July 14, 2010 by Mario2008
qoute from deleted post removed

[MikeyIdea]

Not that it matters very much but the name is not Swedish and he was not born in Sweden either. I have known quite a few Iranians who fled Iran and came to Sweden. Every single one I have met are from better off families and well behaved and polite.

I find it hard to believe that he should have done all that he is charged for, if he is totally innocent I don't know

[crazyswede]

Swedish Behnam "Benny" Moafi

Swedish , yeah , right ..

[Motoon]

This certainly deserves some admiration. Not sure if it is the safest thing but he comes across as very determined.

[maxman71]

So he was sentenced to 22 years and only served 10 ... He should be very careful , as it could go the opposite was for him and he ends up serving the rest of his sentence ..

If he were innocent and had a feeling of right and wrong then i can understand the guy. Its not always about money but about the feeling that you have.

I can relate to this guy. About 20 years ago in the US, I was arrested and charged with crimes I did not commit. The charges were eventually dismissed, but I wanted my name cleared as much as possible. Just because the charges were dismissed, that does not fully preclude law enforcement officials from continuing to suspect someone. So I took another year or so and obtained a "finding of factual innocence" by means of further investigation. Needless to say, I discovered the cops on my case were at best sloppy and at worst, falsified witness statements in their reports used by the DA to file charges. All told, 2+ years and thousands of USD later, I cleared my name fully and the case file was destroyed. My situation was not as serious as this guy's, but the concept is identical. If he is indeed innocent, and my take is that he is, I hope that he obtains justice.

[loonodingle]

<BR>Maybe he's shooting for a book or movie deal.<BR>

<BR>Why would you be concerned if we was shooting a book deal etc. Lets face it it, if you or i was banged up for 10 years of our life we would have justification to try to bring our situation to the public view. wether by movie or a book. It would be an education and it could well help avoid this sort of thing in the future. especially if it highlights a corrupt system.<BR>10 years is a mighty long time, and good luck to the guy.<BR>He should just remember where he is thats all, and dont expect to much at the end.<BR><BR>

[atyclb]

Great post!!!

Insightful, knowledgeable, well thought out, objective, and logical.

I wonder if the Swede became a Thai lawyer or europe lawyer?

Those with the urge to let loose with a volley of snide put-downs, should instead consider that this man is playing by the rules. He's exercising his legal rights to seek redress before the courts. His protest is peaceful and not an imposition to anyone else's rights and liberties. At the very least, he is entitled to appear before a judge who can then render a decision based upon the evidence. What we see is the same type of delay that some U.S. states employ with wrongfully convicted people on death row. The Innocence Project has cleared alot of innocent people based upon DNA evidence that prosecutors and police wanted to suppress or prevent from being used. According to the Innocence Project more than one-third of the first 250 people exonerated by DNA testing were 22 or under when they were arrested. They spent decades in jail being abused and denied their rights. If an advanced society like the USA can send people to prison, what happens in Thailand to those without the means to defend themselves and that are wrongfully condemned?

What's the alternative for this person other than the court system? Do you want him to get violent and start making things boom as has happened elsewhere in Thailand? Justice delayed is justice denied and justice denied is an indication of a corrupt judiciary. ( Corruption does not necessarily mean the taking of bribes but includes interference by political and vested interests.)