Section 247 — Carrying Out the Death Penalty
Statutory text (Thai original)
คดีที่จำเลยต้องประหารชีวิต ห้ามมิให้บังคับตามคำพิพากษา จนกว่าจะได้ปฏิบัติตามบทบัญญัติในประมวลกฎหมายนี้ว่าด้วยอภัยโทษแล้วหญิงใดจะต้องประหารชีวิต ถ้ามีครรภ์อยู่ให้รอไว้จนพ้นกำหนดสามปีนับแต่คลอดบุตรแล้วให้ลดโทษประหารชีวิตลงเหลือจำคุกตลอดชีวิต เว้นแต่เมื่อบุตรถึงแก่ความตายก่อนพ้นกำหนดเวลาดังกล่าวในระหว่างสามปีนับแต่คลอดบุตร ให้หญิงนั้นเลี้ยงดูบุตรตามความเหมาะสมในสถานที่ที่สมควรแก่การเลี้ยงดูบุตรภายในเรือนจำ การประหารชีวิตให้ประหาร ณ ตำบลและเวลาที่เจ้าหน้าที่ในการนั้นจะเห็นสมควร
English translation
In a case where the defendant is to be executed by death, the judgment shall not be carried out until the provisions of this Code on pardon have been complied with. Where a woman is to be executed by death, if she is pregnant the execution shall be postponed until three years after she has given birth, and the death sentence shall then be reduced to life imprisonment, except where the child dies before that period expires. During the three years from childbirth, the woman shall raise the child as appropriate at a place suitable for child-rearing within the prison. The execution shall be carried out at the locality and time that the officers in charge see fit.
This English translation is provided for reference only and has not yet been firm-verified — always rely on the Thai original.
Firm annotation
Section 247 governs execution of a capital judgment within the Chapter on execution of judgment. It makes the pardon process a mandatory precondition to any execution, tying this Chapter to Book 7 on pardon, commutation, and reduction of punishment. It also carves out a protection for pregnant women: execution is postponed and ultimately commuted to life imprisonment where the child survives, and the mother rears the child within the prison during the three-year period.
Why this matters in practice
For anyone facing a capital sentence, the key takeaway is that execution is never immediate: the pardon petition steps under Book 7 must run first, giving the condemned a further avenue. Pregnancy triggers an automatic postponement and, if the child survives three years, commutation to life imprisonment by operation of law. These are statutory safeguards, not discretionary favors.
Frequently asked questions
Can a death sentence be carried out immediately after it becomes final?
No. Section 247 prohibits execution until the pardon provisions of this Code have been complied with, so the royal pardon procedure must run first.
What happens if a woman sentenced to death is pregnant?
Execution is postponed until three years after childbirth and the death sentence is then reduced to life imprisonment, unless the child dies before that period; during the three years she raises the child inside the prison.