Known to her family and friends as “June”, Sirikan, 30, will be the first woman to receive the L4L award, which was announced on Friday. She will accept the award at L4L’s seminar ‘The Voice of Rights’ about lawyers and freedom of expression, hosted by Allen & Overy in Amsterdam on May 19.

“Sirikan is a young Thai lawyer who stands up for human rights activists, journalists and people tried after the coup by military courts, even though she is facing considerable risks herself,” the release said.

“By giving this award to Sirikan, the jury wants to applaud her unwavering courage and commitment, and draw attention to the human rights situation in Thailand, which is relatively unknown in the West.”

Sirikan is a co-founder of Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR), a lawyers’ collective founded shortly after the military coup in May 2014 to provide legal aid and monitor the human rights situation in Thailand.

As a rights lawyer with TLHR, she gives legal services in high-profile rights cases on a pro bono basis. She acts for the increasing number of individuals facing lese-majeste charges.

She also represents human rights activists facing arbitrary arrest for exercising their rights to peaceful assembly and expression and journalists facing arbitrary arrest in the exercise of media freedom by documenting the work of human rights activists.

In 2015, Sirikan started representing students from the New Democracy Movement (NDM) who were involved in peaceful protests on June 25, 2015, calling for an end to military rule.

Since then, she has been subject to continual intimidation by the Thai authorities. Within one year, she has been charged with four criminal offences in connection with her professional activities. If found guilty, she could face up to at least 10 years in jail.

A further case was initiated against her by police, under charges of reporting false information – for having filed a complaint of malfeasance in office against police. If convicted, she could face up to a five years in prison.

The L4L award was created in 2011 by Dutch Civil Society Organisation. L4L is an independent and non-political Dutch foundation seeking to promote proper functioning of the rule of law by pursuing independence in the legal profession. The award, worth 10,000 euros, is given every two years.