Universal Declaration of Human Rights A man, age 34 Member of the Lua ethnic group Chaloem Phra Kiat district, Nan province Voice “What reason is there for an innocent person to be imprisoned?” This voice comes from a 34-year-old male inmate of Lua ethnic origin, who was charged in a drug case and who has been in a prison in Nan province for the last five years. He claims that he is innocent. “In 2003, the police searched my house, citing an incident that they said took place in 2001. The person the police said that he was searching for was an accomplice to a narcotic offence,” he explains. However, he says that he was not an accomplice in this crime and found out while in prison that the guilty man was, in fact, someone else with a similar name. “I told the police I had nothing to do with it. I didn’t understand what they were talking about. They forced me to give a confession, saying that if I confessed, I would not have to go to prison; so I confessed. The police tricked me into this confession that I then signed,” he explains. “During the trial I again denied the charges against me. I knew I was going to be put in jail, despite what the police had said. What reason is there for an innocent person to be imprisoned?” he asks. “Sometimes I miss my child, my wife and my parents, and I ask myself, ‘why has this happened to me?’ The actual wrongdoer has already left prison, while I, who have done nothing wrong, am stuck here in jail.” 52 Dignity and Justice for All of Us