Human rights lawyer says Men-in-Black suspects retracted confession

[webfact]

Human rights lawyer says Men-in-Black suspects retracted confession



BANGKOK: -- The Human Rights Lawyer Association (HRLA) today petitioned the Office of the Attorney General saying suspects accused of shooting civilians and soldiers during the bloody riot in 2010 have retracted their confession out of death threats.

Winyat Chartmontri, a HRLA lawyer, disclosed the retracted confession by five ‘Men in Black’ suspects after having met and talked to all them recently in prison.

The suspects said they were forced to confess to the shooting during the bloody riot by authorities with threat that their lives would be in danger if they didn’t confess.

The lawyer said he was told that the suspect were intimidated and therefore had to confess.

He said the statement of the five suspects were recorded along with their signatures signed at the presence of corrections officials as witness for use as evidence of retracted confession.

He said the team of lawyers of the HRLA petitioned the Office of the Criminal Cases of the Office of the Attorney General so that renewed investigation should be called as earlier investigation procedure was unfair and illegitimate.

The chief of the Office of the Criminal Cases said the police investigators have recalled their case file since September 30 as the case is within the authority of the Department of Special Investigation.

Earlier Crime Suppression Division (CSD) had formally asked the Office of the Attorney-General to prosecute seven members of the so-called “Men in Black” in connection with the shooting of civilians and soldiers during the bloody riot in 2010.

(Photo : Thai PBS File)

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/human-rights-lawyer-says-men-black-suspects-retracted-confession/


-- Thai PBS 2014-10-14

[love1012]

I hope they commit suicide if they ARE guilty

[ramrod711]

Winyat Chartmontri, a HRLA lawyer, disclosed the retracted confession by five Men in Black suspects after having met and talked to all them recently in prison.

I can imagine how that conversation went, "don't worry, there is a special cake being prepared right now, you will be innocent of all charges, the big T guarantees it". Thailand is now officially the hub of recanted confessions.

[Robby nz]

I wonder if they retracted the weapons that were found in their possession ?

[chainarong]

That's funny , it seems a lot of suspects are retracting their confessions lately , everybody is going ape shit on withdrawals this month, wonder why.

[sweatalot]

jumping on the Koh Tao Burmese train ?

Seems their lawyers get good payments and use the opportunity

may the recanting of the innocent save them

and the recanting of the guilty double their punishment

[Eric Loh]

That's funny , it seems a lot of suspects are retracting their confessions lately , everybody is going ape shit on withdrawals this month, wonder why.

Because they are beatened and threatened and denied a chance to speak freely till the HR lawyers visit them. This is a beginning of the making of a police state and Gestapo style to intimidate for a confession. Well at least till next election.

[tomross46]

We have been told by knowledgeable informants that the Men in Black, were police. If these med are not police they are not guilty. OH! you might be wondering who the confidential informant is, no one but Pol. Capt. Deputy PM Chalerm. It must be true, because we know he does not lie.

[SICHONSTEVE]

I hope they commit suicide if they ARE guilty

Is that the same for the Koh Tao two?

[SICHONSTEVE]

That's funny , it seems a lot of suspects are retracting their confessions lately , everybody is going ape shit on withdrawals this month, wonder why.

Because they are beatened and threatened and denied a chance to speak freely till the HR lawyers visit them. This is a beginning of the making of a police state and Gestapo style to intimidate for a confession. Well at least till next election.

Have you noticed that as soon as (not until) these lawyers get involved, are the confessions retracted.

It should be easy to assess whether they were tortured in order to obtain these confessions - just check for scars from scratches under the arm pit. Apparently this is the Gestapo type methods commonly adopted by the Thai police. Scratching and tickling gets results. No matter the seriousness of the crime they are being investigated for, do this and you have them on a plate, canon fodder or lambs to the slaughter.

The way to counter it is to employ one of those leech like human rights lawyers looking for work!

[chotthee]

That's funny , it seems a lot of suspects are retracting their confessions lately , everybody is going ape shit on withdrawals this month, wonder why.

Because they are beatened and threatened and denied a chance to speak freely till the HR lawyers visit them. This is a beginning of the making of a police state and Gestapo style to intimidate for a confession. Well at least till next election.

Have you noticed that as soon as (not until) these lawyers get involved, are the confessions retracted.

It should be easy to assess whether they were tortured in order to obtain these confessions - just check for scars from scratches under the arm pit. Apparently this is the Gestapo type methods commonly adopted by the Thai police. Scratching and tickling gets results. No matter the seriousness of the crime they are being investigated for, do this and you have them on a plate, canon fodder or lambs to the slaughter.

The way to counter it is to employ one of those leech like human rights lawyers looking for work!

Thai police will never torture victims as it is against the law.

The police keeps the the law and order.

[cbluck58]

Time to forget the movies and understand that in reality, any single one person on this planet will confess to anything they are instructed to confess to under torture - trust me on this because I've been there.

There are many forms of torture that leave no signs at all on the victim and impossible to prove.

It should simply be globally illegal to prosecute a criminal case based on any confession as there is no way to prove that the confessions were not extracted under duress of some description.

The burden of proof should be laid squarely at the feet of whoever is prosecuting and no case should be allowed to proceed without proper evidence, regardless of whether a confession is available or not.

[soalbundy]

That's funny , it seems a lot of suspects are retracting their confessions lately , everybody is going ape shit on withdrawals this month, wonder why.

Because they are beatened and threatened and denied a chance to speak freely till the HR lawyers visit them. This is a beginning of the making of a police state and Gestapo style to intimidate for a confession. Well at least till next election.

Have you noticed that as soon as (not until) these lawyers get involved, are the confessions retracted.

It should be easy to assess whether they were tortured in order to obtain these confessions - just check for scars from scratches under the arm pit. Apparently this is the Gestapo type methods commonly adopted by the Thai police. Scratching and tickling gets results. No matter the seriousness of the crime they are being investigated for, do this and you have them on a plate, canon fodder or lambs to the slaughter.

The way to counter it is to employ one of those leech like human rights lawyers looking for work!

Thai police will never torture victims as it is against the law.

The police keeps the the law and order.

You make silly statements like this to annoy people don't you ? Thai police are the best in the universe will be next.

[In Town]

Stop being rational! You will give TV a bad name.

[toybits]

That's funny , it seems a lot of suspects are retracting their confessions lately , everybody is going ape shit on withdrawals this month, wonder why.

Because they are beatened and threatened and denied a chance to speak freely till the HR lawyers visit them. This is a beginning of the making of a police state and Gestapo style to intimidate for a confession. Well at least till next election.

Have you noticed that as soon as (not until) these lawyers get involved, are the confessions retracted.

It should be easy to assess whether they were tortured in order to obtain these confessions - just check for scars from scratches under the arm pit. Apparently this is the Gestapo type methods commonly adopted by the Thai police. Scratching and tickling gets results. No matter the seriousness of the crime they are being investigated for, do this and you have them on a plate, canon fodder or lambs to the slaughter.

The way to counter it is to employ one of those leech like human rights lawyers looking for work!

Thai police will never torture victims as it is against the law.

The police keeps the the law and order.

The victims usually are dead, or are already in the hospital. So why should the Police torture them? It is the suspects that usually get the special treatment. I wonder where the police were when those two tourists were brutally murders at Koh Tao?

[RubbaJohnny]

That's funny , it seems a lot of suspects are retracting their confessions lately , everybody is going ape shit on withdrawals this month, wonder why.

Because they are beatened and threatened and denied a chance to speak freely till the HR lawyers visit them. This is a beginning of the making of a police state and Gestapo style to intimidate for a confession. Well at least till next election.

when is that then.....

[webfact]

Blackshirt Suspects 'Tortured Into Confessing,' Lawyer Says
By Khaosod English

BANGKOK - The five suspects identified by Thai police as armed militants in the 2010 protests have recanted their confession, their lawyer says.

All five suspects said they were tortured by police into confessing to the charges, their lawyer Winyat Chartmontri told reporters today.

"They could not endure any more abuse, so they confessed," Winyat said.

Winyat and representatives from the Lawyers for Human Rights organisation also petitioned the Office of Attorney-General, urging the court to "give fairness" to the four men and one woman who are currently awaiting their trial in prison.

Kittisak Soomsri, Preecha Yooyen, Ranarit Suricha, Chamnarn Phakeechai, and Punika Chusri were accused by Thai police of belonging to the shadowy 'Blackshirt' militant cell that fought with security forces during the crackdown on Redshirt demonstrators in Bangkok on 10 April 2010.

Twenty civilians and five soldiers were killed in the clashes, including Col. Romklao Thuvatham, a high-ranking military officer who led the operation.

It is unclear when the five suspects were arrested, but chief of Thai police Pol.Gen. Somyot Pumphanmuang paraded them in front of the media in a press conference in September. The five suspects were ordered to "re-enact" their alleged crime on Ratchadamnoen Avenue. According to Pol.Gen. Somyot, all of the suspects confessed.

Full story: http://www.khaosodenglish.com/detail.php?newsid=1413276948


-- Khaosod English 2014-10-14

[tx22cb]

A confession should be irrelevant IF the Police have a strong case.

Thai cops rely too much on getting confessions, because they do not have compelling forensic evidence such as fingerprints, DNA, video, witnesses.

[rickirs]

Regardless of whether an accused is really guilty or innocent, allegations of forced confessions as a result of police failure to maintain transparency and attention to basic defendent legal rights will always offer an automatic defense of forced confession.

However, I don't know how anyone can expect better of the Thai police from a history of judicial abuse when the nation is operating now under martial law that provides for warrantless searches and arrests without probable cause, and when the Constitution guaranteeing human rights no longer exists.

[SICHONSTEVE]

A confession should be irrelevant IF the Police have a strong case.

Thai cops rely too much on getting confessions, because they do not have compelling forensic evidence such as fingerprints, DNA, video, witnesses.

Absolutely correct - this is why the Koh Tao trial (just about starting now) will prove that Hannah was raped by these 2 Burmese men.

These confessions (withdrawn or not) are not relevant.

These 'men in black' denying that it was them (after the humanitarian so called do-gooders have got to them) holds no sway in the trial and is meaningless in terms of their guilt or innocence. Let the judges decide (in both of these high profile cases) as to what their fate is to be.

[Eric Loh]

That's funny , it seems a lot of suspects are retracting their confessions lately , everybody is going ape shit on withdrawals this month, wonder why.

Because they are beatened and threatened and denied a chance to speak freely till the HR lawyers visit them. This is a beginning of the making of a police state and Gestapo style to intimidate for a confession. Well at least till next election.

when is that then.....

Next year was promised. I have full faith that the PM will never break promise.

[londonthai]

here are some datails:

"The accounts of torture include electric shocks to the genitals, suffocation, continuous beatings all night, and detention in a hole in the ground, while the hole was being filled". http://prachatai.org/english/node/4395

[SICHONSTEVE]

here are some datails:

"The accounts of torture include electric shocks to the genitals, suffocation, continuous beatings all night, and detention in a hole in the ground, while the hole was being filled". http://prachatai.org/english/node/4395

What is the relevance of this??

[than]

A poor tactic from red lawyer..........

[londonthai]

here are some datails:

"The accounts of torture include electric shocks to the genitals, suffocation, continuous beatings all night, and detention in a hole in the ground, while the hole was being filled". http://prachatai.org/english/node/4395

What is the relevance of this??

that the victims of torture have spoken about their ordeal before they have officially retracted their confession

[thesetat2013]

That's funny , it seems a lot of suspects are retracting their confessions lately , everybody is going ape shit on withdrawals this month, wonder why.

Because they are beatened and threatened and denied a chance to speak freely till the HR lawyers visit them. This is a beginning of the making of a police state and Gestapo style to intimidate for a confession. Well at least till next election.

Dont forget "protect and serve

Have you noticed that as soon as (not until) these lawyers get involved, are the confessions retracted.

It should be easy to assess whether they were tortured in order to obtain these confessions - just check for scars from scratches under the arm pit. Apparently this is the Gestapo type methods commonly adopted by the Thai police. Scratching and tickling gets results. No matter the seriousness of the crime they are being investigated for, do this and you have them on a plate, canon fodder or lambs to the slaughter.

The way to counter it is to employ one of those leech like human rights lawyers looking for work!

Thai police will never torture victims as it is against the law.

The police keeps the the law and order.

[kriswillems]

The reason for all the doubts and the total mess is the total corruption of the police.

As long as the police is involved in crime, tortures people, extorts people, we are never going to know who's a real criminal and who's a scapegoat.

The only way to solve it is to rebuild the police force from zero.

[SICHONSTEVE]

The reason for all the doubts and the total mess is the total corruption of the police.

As long as the police is involved in crime, tortures people, extorts people, we are never going to know who's a real criminal and who's a scapegoat.

The only way to solve it is to rebuild the police force from zero.

Agree, this is pretty much what Prayuth has done - he reshuffled all of Thaksin's mates and assistants out of the top positions and replaced them with able men.

Replacing the more junior police is a different matter - they need to be educated so that they realise that their job entails solving crimes and helping people and not be rewarded with bribes to serve people and devise ways of extracting as much money as possible from as many people as they can.

[halloween]

Just because a confession is retracted doesn't mean that it wasn't true.

[EnglishJohn]

That's funny , it seems a lot of suspects are retracting their confessions lately , everybody is going ape shit on withdrawals this month, wonder why.

Because they are beatened and threatened and denied a chance to speak freely till the HR lawyers visit them. This is a beginning of the making of a police state and Gestapo style to intimidate for a confession. Well at least till next election.

The red-shirt double standards are great .

Did you forget the quick confession of the shoelace murderer of Akeyuth who just happened to be a big enemy of Thaksin ?. Or did you forget the quick confession of the popcorn shooter while not a single UDD terrorist got arrested ?.

And there is certainly something fishy going on at the Human Rights organisation : they kept very quiet during the protests despite the obvious actions of the government.

Still - never let the truth get in the way of a good whine at those who took away the honey pot eh ?