Thailand's human rights body has named as a commissioner the wife of a lawyer who disappeared 11 years ago after criticizing police conduct.
The selection committee announced Tuesday that Angkhana Neelaphaijit is among seven candidates who will sit on the new commission for a six-year term.
Angkhana became active in defending human rights after her husband, Somchai, disappeared in March 2004.
Rights groups feared he was killed because of his criticism of police conduct toward the clients he represented in a case related to Thailand's deadly insurgency.
Angkhana continued to investigate allegations of police abuse in Thailand's south despite anonymous threats. Besides continuing to press for justice in her husband's case, Angkhana has become a high-profile advocate for the missing throughout Asia in cases where the abductors are believed to be agents of the state.
The outgoing National Human Rights Commission has been criticized for its leniency toward rights violations in recent political protests.
It's unclear if the successors will be more influential. Thailand's military government has been criticized by overseas rights group for restricting speech and assembly freedoms and prosecuting dissent and other sensitive cases in military rather than civilian courts.
This content appears as provided to The Globe by the originating wire service. It has not been edited by Globe staff.