Viral clip claiming Angkhana stated “death penalty doesn’t reduce crime” is old news from 2018, unlinked to recent events, Thai PBS Verify finds.
Thai PBS Verify traced the source of the misleading news to Facebook.
Post from the “Doctor Not Aggressive” Facebook page
Thai PBS Verify checked a post by the Facebook page “Doctor Not Aggressive” following its release of an image with text stating that:
It should be entrusted to their care.
Additionally, the video includes a picture of Angkhana Neelapaijit—a senator and former member of the National Human Rights Commission—alongside text reading:
Angkhana firmly reiterates that capital punishment fails to deter crime and emphasizes the need to address the underlying root causes.
Published on August 2, 2026, the post has drawn over 270 reactions and more than 90 comments
Did Angkhana actually make a post opposing the death penalty?
A keyword search found no posts by Mrs. Angkhana regarding the arrest of suspects Tana (“Pong“) and Thongchai (“Thong”) in the Bang Lamung, Chonburi case—involving the two Russian siblings, Ms. Diana Nasimova (22) and Mr. Roman Nasimov (17), and the hidden-burial mass murder of a family. A post made on Monday, August 3, 2026, was actually a commentary on justice in missing persons cases, which stated:
Getting justice in missing persons cases is tough because officials usually think the person just ran away for personal reasons, so they don’t take it seriously enough. This delays finding the missing individuals and catching those responsible. If the police had thoroughly investigated the case of the missing family and brought the offenders to justice, the tragedy that befell the two Russian children might never have happened. Surprisingly, few people criticize or blame the police—instead, they turn their outrage toward human rights advocates.
Latest post from Angkhana Neelapaijit’s Facebook page
As seen from the post, this information is entirely unrelated to the issue of the death penalty.
Where did this statement come from?
Verification via Google Lens reverse image search identified the image as originating from a Khaosod article published on June 19, 2018, headlined: “‘Angkhana’ Believes ‘Death Penalty’ Does Not Reduce ‘Crime’!” This coincided with Mrs. Angkhana’s tenure as a member of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). She was addressing the execution by the Department of Corrections of a 26-year-old death row inmate who committed a fatal robbery-murder in Trang Province, inflicting 24 knife wounds on the victim on June 18, 2018.
Google Lens Search Results
Angkhana confirms she made no comments on the death penalty regarding the latest case.
We contacted Mrs. Angkhana, and she confirmed to Thai PBS Verify that she hasn’t commented on the recent case at all. The quote being shared is actually from 2018 when she was a National Human Rights Commissioner. She noted that what she said back then was based entirely on the commission’s report on the death penalty, where they suggested alternative options to harsh penalties, like life imprisonment with no reduction of sentences.
“Whenever a violent incident occurs, society falls back on the same kind of attacks—much like a witch hunt. In reality, no one asks why, from 2018 to 2026, we have barely reformed the justice system, whether in terms of investigation, arrest, immunity, or prosecution. Instead, there seems to be a push to incite hatred and find scapegoats.”
She added that in the latest case involving three missing family members, police assumed they just ran away on their own because of debt or simply because the lights were still on at their house. If officers had thoroughly investigated from day one, this second tragedy might never have happened. On top of that, with reports suggesting the suspect was a police informant, a serious investigation is needed to explain how he was able to get hold of a police uniform to trick people.
Mrs. Angkhana Neelapaijit, Member of the Senate and former Commissioner of the National Human Rights Commission
As human rights defenders, we have perpetually urged the reform of the judicial process and advocated that offenders be held accountable. Given that the execution of a sentence cannot be undone if an individual’s guilt remains uncertain, the former National Human Rights Commission continually advocated for measures alternative to extreme penalties, notably life imprisonment without eligibility for sentence reduction, which permanently removes the offender from society. Regrettably, the reality today is that perpetrators are often released after serving merely a few years.
However, despite withholding my comments on both cases—anticipating the backlash that indeed followed—I have noticed a rise in hate-inciting and misleading content since monetization became widespread. If these actions do not stop, I will gather evidence and file another formal police complaint.
What is the actual truth?
- Mrs. Angkhana “did not publish a post opposing the death penalty” regarding the recent case: Verification of Mrs. Angkhana Neelapaijit’s latest post on Monday, August 3, 2026, confirmed no opinions were expressed on the death penalty. Her statement solely addressed concerns over the judicial process and law enforcement’s handling of missing persons cases, where delayed action in the disappearance of the family of three subsequently resulted in a second tragedy affecting the Russian minors.
- The text in the image is taken from “old news back in 2018”: The shared image and quote actually come from a Khaosod news story dated June 19, 2018, back when Mrs. Angkhana was still a National Human Rights Commissioner. She was simply commenting based on an NHRC academic report regarding the execution of a robbery-murder convict in Trang Province—it has nothing to do with the 2026 murder case in Bang Lamung at all.
- Angkhana confirms she was misrepresented, gathers evidence for legal action: Mrs. Angkhana confirmed to Thai PBS Verify that she has made no statements on the death penalty regarding the latest case. She pointed out that stories are being manipulated into clickbait to monetize and incite hostility. Warning that if this witch hunt does not stop, she will pursue full legal action.
Verification Process
- Searching for the original post using keywords: We checked Mrs. Angkhana Neelapaijit’s personal accounts and communication channels but found no posts or statements where she opposed the death penalty for either the Chonburi family murder or the Russian children’s case. The only post found was from August 3, 2026, in which she questioned how the police handled missing persons cases.
- Reverse image search with Google Lens: A search using the image from the page led to a Khaosod news report titled: “Angkhana Believes the ‘Death Penalty’ Doesn’t Reduce ‘Crime’!” Published on June 19, 2018, the report reflected her work as a National Human Rights Commissioner eight years ago.
- In-depth interview with Angkhana Neelapaijit: She pointed out that whenever a violent crime happens, society tends to turn human rights workers into “scapegoats” or launch “witch hunts” against them, instead of looking at the real issue—reforming our justice system. She explained that the Human Rights Commission’s actual position is to recommend “life in prison with zero chance of sentence reduction” so violent offenders can never harm society again, not to let criminals go free to repeat their crimes.
The Impact of This Misinformation
- Stoking hatred and witch-hunt culture: Resurfacing an eight-year-old news story to misrepresent a high-profile crime is designed to divert public outrage toward human rights advocates, sparking excessive verbal abuse and harassment.
- Junk content schemes for profit: This is a clear example of digital-age behavior, where creators intentionally use fake news and edited information to hunt for likes and shares, making money off society’s confusion and tragedy.
- Distracting from judicial process reform: Deflecting culpability toward human rights defenders leads the public to neglect fundamental questions concerning law enforcement’s efficacy. This includes the sluggish response in missing persons investigations and the alarming ease with which the offender obtained a police uniform to impersonate an officer and deceive victims.
What to do with this misinformation?
- Pay attention to the date and context of images: When encountering inflammatory infographics or quotes from politicians and public figures, conduct a reverse image search or check the original news date before jumping to conclusions.
- Distinguish between “opposing capital punishment” and “exonerating perpetrators”: The public should recognize that human rights advocacy for alternatives to the death penalty entails true life imprisonment without eligibility for sentence reduction. This measure permanently incarcerates violent offenders to safeguard society, rather than shielding wrongdoers from justice.
- Stop sharing and help report outrage-bait pages: Avoid liking, commenting on, or sharing posts from pages that spread hate just to gain engagement. You can also send links to Thai PBS Verify so we can check the facts and help stop fake news from spreading online.
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