Thai activist Netiwit Chotiphatphaisal has been sentenced to six months in prison, suspended for one year, after a Samut Prakan District Court found him guilty of avoiding military selection.
The ruling was delivered on 20 July 2026 after the court heard the case involving charges of evading the military selection process. The Human Rights Lawyers Centre said the hearing began at 9.30am.
Netiwit had previously asked for the hearing date to be changed so that the court could proceed directly to reading its judgment, in line with the defendant's wishes. Prosecutors did not object, allowing the court to deliver its decision.
Court rejects constitutional and conscience arguments
The court found that Netiwit had committed an offence by avoiding selection for military service, based on the evidence presented by the prosecution.
It rejected his argument that the Military Service Act conflicted with the Constitution, saying the Constitutional Court had already ruled that the law was not unconstitutional.
The court also dismissed Netiwit's claim that he had declined military service because of religious beliefs and conscience. It ruled that such grounds do not provide an exemption from criminal liability under the law.
Netiwit was convicted under Sections 27 and 45 of the Military Service Act. The court imposed a six-month jail sentence but suspended it for one year, noting that he had not previously been sentenced to imprisonment.
A suspended sentence means the court has not ordered immediate imprisonment under this ruling. The report did not specify any further conditions attached to the one-year suspension.
The ruling also underlines that objections based on personal conscience or religion were not accepted by the court as a legal exemption in this case. The court relied on the existing Constitutional Court ruling that the Military Service Act does not breach the Constitution.
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21 July 2026
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