The use of ankle cuffs on Bahraini footballer Hakeem al-Araibi was a carefully-weighed decision to prevent any incidents while taking him to court, Narat Svetanan, director-general of the Corrections Department, said on Tuesday.
Section 21 of the Corrections Act authorised warders to use shackles on detainees when they were brought out of a prison.
"Warders considered that the detainee is of interest to society and could impact international relations. Therefore, officials decided to put ankle cuffs on him," Mr Narat said.
He referred to the ankle cuffs on Mr Araibi while he was brought on Monday from the Bangkok Remand Prison to the Criminal Court where public prosecutors sought an order to extradite him to Bahrain. The pictures of Mr Araibi hobbling into the court in shackles caused expressions of shock around the world.
The procedures of the Corrections Department risked facing criticism on human rights grounds, Mr Narat said, but society should understand that officials had to ensure the safe transportation of detainees and prevent an escape which could harm society and cause officials to face disciplinary action, Mr Narat said.
