A Thai court has sentenced two Uyghur men to death for their role in the 2015 bombing of Bangkok’s Erawan Shrine, an attack that killed 20 people and injured about 120 others in what remains Thailand’s deadliest bombing.
The Bangkok South Criminal Court delivered its long-awaited verdict on Thursday, finding the two defendants guilty of offences including premeditated murder, attempted murder and illegal possession of explosive materials linked to the August 17, 2015 attack.
The explosion struck the popular shrine in Bangkok’s commercial center, a site frequented by worshippers and tourists, leaving widespread devastation and casualties that included visitors from mainland China and Hong Kong.
The court said the defendants’ actions constituted multiple offences and imposed the death penalty, the harshest punishment available under Thai law.
The two men, identified in court proceedings as Chinese nationals Yusufu Mieraili and Bilal Mohammed, have consistently denied the charges against them.
Following the verdict, their lawyers said appeals would be filed within the one-month period permitted under Thai law.
One of the defendants rejected the ruling after sentencing, stating: “RIP Thailand’s justice system. I don’t accept any of this. I didn’t do anything wrong.”
The case took more than a decade to reach a verdict after beginning in a military court in 2016 before being transferred to a civilian court in 2022.
Prosecutors compiled more than 10,000 pages of testimony and questioned over 400 witnesses during the proceedings.
No group ever claimed responsibility for the bombing.
However, security experts have long suspected the attack was linked to the deportation of more than 100 Uyghurs from Thailand in the month before the blast.
Investigators focused on possible Uyghur nationalist connections amid allegations that the bombing was retaliation for Thailand’s extradition policies.
Uyghurs have said they fled China’s Xinjiang region due to persecution, while Beijing has rejected such claims.
China welcomed the Thai court’s decision, with Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian describing the attackers as “totally inhumane and extremely heinous” and expressing support for Thailand’s handling of the case under its legal system.