The Thai Journalists Association issued a statement urging the Election Commission (EC) to reconsider the lawsuit against a SPACEBAR news agency photographer, stating that it fosters fear in news reporting and affects the credibility of the election process.
On 27 Feb 2026 at 10:00 a.m., the Thai Journalists Association issued a statement.It urged the Election Commission (EC) to carefully reconsiderthe criminal lawsuit against the SPACEBAR news agency photographer, ensuring it does not infringe on the rights and freedoms of journalists. The statement expressed deep concern over the EC filing criminal charges against a SPACEBAR photojournalist for photographing both constituency and party-list ballots, including ballot stubs, and being accused of attempting to decode QR and bar codes on ballots to trace voter identity. This incident occurred during a re-vote at polling station No. 9, Constituency 15, Khan Na Yao district, Bangkok, on 22 February 2026.
The Association recognizes and respects the EC's regulations, including the principle of ballot secrecy, a fundamental right of voters. However, applying the law to journalists must adhere to necessity and proportionality, clearly distinguishing between actions that interfere with elections and professional duties to report facts and monitor electoral transparency.
The Association believes that pursuing serious criminal charges against journalists, such as those involving criminal conspiracy which carry severe penalties, without thorough consideration of intent and context, could directly impact media freedom and create an atmosphere of fear in public news reporting. This atmosphere undermines transparency and trust in the democratic election process.
Media freedom to seek facts, scrutinize government power, and report to the public is a right guaranteed by the constitution and international human rights standards. Legal actions affecting such duties must be undertaken with utmost caution and must not be used in a way that could be interpreted as restricting or suppressing journalistic work.
The Association calls on the EC to comprehensively review the facts of the case, taking into account the journalist's good faith actions, while upholding the public’s right to access information.The Association hopes that the EC will reconsiderthe lawsuit against the media photographer carefully, without infringing upon the rights and freedoms of the press in performing their duties.
