The Thai Department of Corrections informed that former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra may be eligible for amnesty in May 2026 after serving 2/3 of his 1-year prison sentence, depending on the approval of the Law on Corrections and relevant ministries' regulations.
Mr. Thaksin Shinawatra is being detained at Klong Prem Central Prison under the order of the Thai Supreme Court, in the Criminal Division for those who used to hold political positions.
The former Thai Prime Minister is serving a 1-year prison sentence, starting from September 9, 2025 and expected to end on September 9, 2026.
According to the Thai Department of Correction, Mr. Thaksin is only eligible for conditional release when he has served 2/3 of his sentence, and is only entitled to a maximum conditional release of 1/3 of his sentence.
The former Thai Prime Minister also had to go through a process of consideration and be approved by the Subcommittee for Consideration and Decision on Conditional Release, to meet the criteria for conditional release according to the usual procedure, around May 2026.
At a press conference on January 13, Thai Justice Minister Rutthapon Naowarat mentioned the case of Mr. Thaksin's release, saying that everything is in accordance with the law.
Accordingly, Mr. Thaksin has served 2/3 of his sentence, meaning this is a normal conditional release case.
The working group's process begins at the prison level, with a committee consisting of representatives from relevant agencies to consider. Then, this case is screened at the Director-General level of the Department of Rehabilitation. After that, opinions on the amnesty of Mr. Thaksin are transferred to the main committee for consideration and conclusion. However, in the end, the approval power still belongs to the Standing Secretary of the Ministry of Justice.
