SUSPECT REENACTIONS AT A CRIME SCENE AND MEDIA CONFERENCE CONFESSIONS ARRANGED BY POLICE AS A HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATION

Abstract

As has frequently appreared in the media, when police officers or Inquiry officers have led suspects in custody to a crime site for criminal confession and conspiracy plan formulation, the suspect has been lynched by relatives of the victims and the gathered crowd watching the re-enactment. Obviously, none of the preventive measures that had been planned to avoid such an incident had been effective. Even if the accused criminal deserves punishment, they should be punished by law in the judicial system, not by mob lynching. Besides, assaulting the suspected criminal during the re-enactment is considered as a human rights violation, unfair treatment to the suspect and goes against the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Even though the National Human Rights Commission has informed the Royal Thai Police to strictly follow regulations, some police officers still bring alleged suspects to ca crime scene for a criminal confession and media presentation. However, such action is deemed as useless and inapplicable evidence in the prodsecution. Therefore, in order to seek proper evidence and witness for the prosecution as well as to prevent human rights violations, the conspiracy plan should be carefully accomplished through alternative approaches, instead of leading the alleged suspect to the crime scene.