Thailand court sentences two Uyghur men to death over 2015 Bangkok shrine bombing
A Thai court has sentenced two Uyghur men to death over the 2015 bombing at Bangkok's Erawan Shrine, in a case that has taken more than a decade to reach judgment. The ruling was delivered on Thursday after a lengthy trial over one of Thailand's deadliest attacks. The blast killed 20 people and injured 120 at a busy site in the city centre.
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The court convicted Adem Karadag and Yusufu Mieraili of offences including premeditated murder, with the judges saying their actions amounted to multiple separate crimes. The court statement said the sentence included the death penalty for the murder charge. Their lawyers said both men denied the allegations and would appeal, with Thai law requiring appeals to be filed within a month of the verdict.
The attack took place at the Erawan Shrine, a popular tourist destination in central Bangkok, and the dead included five people from mainland China and two from Hong Kong. The case has been closely watched because of the scale of the casualties and the long delay before trial. Prosecutors said they gathered evidence from hundreds of witnesses, and the proceedings were complicated by difficulties finding an appropriate interpreter for the suspects.
The ruling matters because it closes a major chapter in a long-running terrorism case with international implications. The bombing has remained significant in Thailand because it struck a crowded public site in the commercial heart of the capital and affected victims from several places. It also continues to draw attention because no group claimed responsibility and the motive has not been established in court.
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The case has been linked by security experts to the forced deportation of more than 100 Uyghurs from Thailand in the previous month, although that connection was not proven in the verdict. China has previously faced criticism over restrictions in Xinjiang, where most Uyghurs live, and the case has therefore carried a wider political dimension. The verdict also comes after Thailand deported another 40 Uyghurs to China last year, despite calls from UN human rights experts not to do so.
What remains unclear is whether the appeal will change the outcome or whether the court will provide further detail on the evidence and motive. The defendants' lawyers have said they will challenge the ruling, and Thai law gives them a limited window to do so. The broader question of who planned the bombing, and why, also remains unresolved in public court findings.
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