Thanks to people like you, we help people like Luke

“CPJP were my voice in my darkest hour when I felt alone. CPJP provides the attention that is needed for the people that have no voice and have been condemned to death by nations. I am only one of the people they have successfully guided home.”

Luke Cook, Australian exonerated from death row in Thailand in 2022

A question we often get asked at CPJP is how we can maintain our sole focus on an issue that, quite frankly, is so distressing. While there are many good reasons to dedicate our work to protecting such a fundamental human right - the right to life - it is the human stories that truly motivate us.

In recent years, we had the privilege to support Luke Cook and his family in their efforts to exonerate him after he and two co-accused were convicted and sentenced to death in Thailand on drug trafficking charges.

Born in Perth, Luke had started a family in Thailand and, with his wife, had purchased a struggling business in the beachside town of Pattaya, and transformed it into a thriving bar, restaurant and hotel.

In December 2017, Luke was detained at the airport in Bangkok and ultimately charged with importation of a controlled substance without a permit.

For 84 days after his arrest, Luke was kept in a non-stimulus solitary confinement cell 24 hours a day, where constant illumination made it impossible to sleep and he survived on minimal food and water, losing 30 kilograms in a month.

The trial that followed was a grueling ordeal, with more than 30 separate court days over 11 months. Five days after the verdict, Luke was transported to Bang Kwang Central Prison, and placed on death row. There, he lived in a cramped cell with 50 other inmates, where they slept on the floor and were locked up for 16 hours a day, with a grim bathing area outside the cell.

When CPJP got involved in March 2020, Luke’s death sentence had been upheld on appeal and he had one final opportunity to appeal his case to the Supreme Court of Thailand. We wanted to ensure the court was informed of our deep concerns with the evidence in Luke’s case. Highlighting the weaknesses in the case and the human rights violations endured, we submitted an amicus curiae (or ‘friend of the court’) brief to the court, which was co-signed by CPJP and the co-chairs of the Australian Parliamentarians Against the Death Penalty.

This approach brought to life Australia's Strategy for Abolition of the Death Penalty and has created a precedent for future intervention by the Australian Government, where it could be beneficial to an individual’s legal position and to the issues.

The court found that the convictions were obtained and founded on unreliable evidence and Luke and his two co-defendants were exonerated and immediately released in September 2021, having spent almost four years in prison. These exonerations were among less than 20 death penalty exonerations made globally that year.

Since then, Luke has found strength in forgiveness and has focused on rebuilding his life. He returned home to Western Australia, where he was reunited with his young son and secured work as a marine broker. His story has provided inspiration to others facing adversity, proving that the human spirit can overcome even the most profound challenges.

Please help CPJP to help more people on death row by making a tax-deductible donation today.

Other ways you can help CPJP

You can cheer on one of our volunteers, Elke, as she runs a half-marathon in June to raise money for our work.

Did you know you can wear your support for CPJP with a t-shirt or tote bag? You can choose from several of Myuran Sukumaran’s hauntingly beautiful artworks. We are so grateful to Myuran’s family, the Campbelltown Arts Centre, and our friends at Das T-Shirt Automat for this partnership.

Our partnership with Willed means you can easily create a will and, if you wish, leave a bequest to CPJP.