3 activists are acquitted of defaming a Thai poultry company accused of violating labor laws

By YUCHENG TANG
Associated Press

BANGKOK (AP) — Three Thai human rights activists have been acquitted of criminally defaming a poultry company with social media posts that supported other activists who had accused it of abusive labor practices. They were charged under a law that could have led to a 42-year prison sentence if convicted. Workers at the company, Thammakaset, had filed a human rights complaint over their working conditions in 2016. A rights group says the company has initiated at least 37 lawsuits against 22 individuals since then. Nearly all were rejected by Thai courts. Critics say Thailand’s criminal defamation law is often used by companies and other groups to intimidate and silence critics.