Sirikan “June” Charoensiri is Executive Advisor, and attorney of the Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR), a non-governmental organization which she co-founded immediately after the May 2014 military coup in Thailand. TLHR documents human rights violations and provides free legal support to people whose civil and political rights have been violated. June studied her LL.B at Thammasat University, Bangkok and her LL.M. at the University of Essex, UK. She is a licensed lawyer to practice in Thailand, and experienced in human rights law, working with the International Commission of Jurists, the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative and others in the field of access to justice and the rule of law in Thailand.
Due to her representation in court of activists of the Thai New Democracy Movement and refusing warrantless searches in 2015, June received threats by high-ranking police officers and faced several sets of criminal charges, but has never stopped her work.
Over the past decade, June received numerous awards including the Lawyers for Lawyers Award in 2017, the US State Department’s 2018 International Women of Courage Award and the 2018 Franco-German Prize for Human Rights and the Rule of Law.
In 2023, June represented TLHR to receive the Albie Justice for Democracy Defenders award from the Clooney Foundation for Justice, and has also been named as one of Asia’s Most Influential 2023 by Tatler.
In 2024, June set up her non-profit named “Engage Thailand” to advance Thailand’s fight for democracy and human rights on the international level. June was selected as the Asia 21 Next Generation Fellows Class of 2024.