Thai Authorities Must Drop Charges Against Conscientious Objector Netiwit Chotiphatphaisal, Says Amnesty International
Ahead of a hearing on September 9th, Amnesty International is calling on Thai authorities to immediately drop charges against human rights activist Netiwit Chotiphatphaisal, who faces up to three years’ imprisonment for refusing military conscription.
Netiwit was indicted on May 22nd by the public prosecutor at the samut Prakan Provincial Court under Article 45 of the 1954 Military Conscription Act. his refusal to participate in the annual conscription lottery on April 5th was a deliberate act of civil disobedience, stemming from concerns about widespread human rights abuses within the Thai military.
“Netiwit’s principled stand should prompt urgent reform of Thailand’s conscription laws,” said Montse Ferrer, Amnesty International’s Regional Research Director. “International law mandates that countries with compulsory military service offer alternative civilian service options, a reform long overdue in Thailand.”
Thailand’s conscription system, conducted each April, relies on a lottery.Men aged 21 and over draw either a red card – signifying up to two years of mandatory military service – or a black card, granting exemption. Voluntary enlistment is also an option.
Amnesty International has documented systemic abuse within the Thai military, including mental, physical, and sexual violence against conscripts and low-ranking officials, as detailed in a 2020 report: https://www.amnesty.org/en/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/ASA3919952020ENGLISH.pdf.
International human rights bodies, including the UN Human Rights Committee and the UN Human Rights Council, recognize the right to conscientious objection as a fundamental aspect of freedom of thought, conscience, and religion, protected under Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
Netiwit Chotiphatphaisal has been involved with Amnesty International since 2012 and previously served on the Board of Amnesty International Thailand (2018-2019). As a State Party to the ICCPR and a member of the UN Human Rights Council, Thailand is obligated to respect these rights and refrain from punishing those who exercise conscientious objection.
