There are times for civil disobedience, but one should not be reckless. You have to weigh the effect that you can have against the cost that you will pay. Courage is a strange thing. Sometimes it requires courage to act. Sometimes it requires courage to stay silent and wait for the right opportunity. It is rarely a straightforward thing, unfortunately.
I hope things go as well as possible for him.
Good luck with that in many developed countries [1][2], or in developing ones [3].
So many things are illegal that it becomes more a question of "do the powers that be wish me imprisoned?" more than anything else.
1: https://blogs.loc.gov/law/2013/03/frequent-reference-questio...
2: https://www.quora.com/How-many-laws-are-there-in-England-and...
3: This article
Er, how? Again, there are tons of laws on the books. Are you going to memorize them all?
Further, some of the laws are incredibly vague. For example, did you know that it is arguably illegal to boycott a business in Thailand?
> Section 117 Whoever, instigates or causes a strike, lockout, or concerted cessation of trade or business with any person for the purpose of bringing about any change in the Laws of the Country, coercing the Government or intimidating the public, shall be punished with imprisonment not exceeding seven years or fine not exceeding fourteen thousand Baht, or both.
> Whoever, with the knowledge of the above purpose, takes part or assists in the said strike, lock-out, or concerted cessation of trade or business with any person shall be punished with imprisonment not exceeding three years or fine not exceeding six thousand Baht, or both.
Are you assisting in a "concerted cessation of business" by actively avoiding an establishment you don't agree with? Are you guilty of "taking part" by liking a Facebook post from a group of workers on strike?
Maybe!
Sure, it's unlikely you'd be prosecuted. But as the article shows, it's always an option if they don't like you or need a sacrificial lamb!
No one should be investigated unless there's a reasonable suspicion that they, as an individual, have actually done something wrong; looking at a legal website is not enough for there to be a suspicion.
That's a very big 'if'. By all accounts mass surveillance and dragnet investigations don't work to find terrorists. Practically everything I've read on the subject (which admittedly isn't much) terrorists are stopped using information from more traditional investigatory methods like informants.
Giving the government the power to investigate 1.3 million citizens who oppose it is an extremely high price to pay in order save lives that might be taken by terrorists. Whether it's worth it isn't a question I can answer easily.
I think its a bit arbitrary to just tie this into him "breaking the law" as if you haven't even given context a moment's worth of processing.
Edit: please give a thought out answer, not just silent downvote :)
Yes, I had no right protesting my own abusive childhood because I could have given myself up to the state and been put in foster care. I was in the wrong for ever standing up for myself and deserved the consequences I had to suffer.
I mean seriously, listen to how vitriolic and unempathetic you sound. You come across as someone who has no compassion for the unjust authoritarian rule some are forced to endure, someone so sheltered from the extremities of human emotion that you can still perceive the world and the choices people make in stark black and white.
You speak of the usefulness in understanding law, of acting with respect for the system that governs you. So I leave you with this:
"I submit that an individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for law."
- Martin Luther King, Jr.
You can accept punishment (as in not martyr yourself or attempt to harm an authoritative figure) while still complaining that your punishment is unjust.
I really don't understand your angle here.