Thai court sentences two Uyghur men to death for deadly 2015 Bangkok shrine bombing

The verdict

A Thai criminal court on Thursday sentenced Yusufu Mieraili and Bilal Mohammed to death for the bombing at Bangkok’s Erawan Shrine on 17 August 2015. The court found them guilty of premeditated murder, attempted murder, and illegal possession of explosives.

“The actions of both defendants constitute multiple separate offences.”

The ruling, handed down after a decade-long legal process, drew immediate notice because both men are ethnic Uyghurs, a Muslim minority fleeing persecution in China’s Xinjiang region.

The 2015 attack

The blast tore through the crowded Hindu shrine during the evening rush hour, killing 20 people and injuring more than 120, many of them Chinese tourists. Five of the dead were from mainland China and two from Hong Kong. Security-camera footage showed a man in a yellow T-shirt leaving a backpack at the scene shortly before the explosion.

Deaths20

Injured120

Deaths

20 people

Injured

120 people

Data from the article text

Motive and deportation context

No group ever claimed responsibility, but security experts believe the bombing was retaliation for Thailand’s forced deportation of 109 Uyghurs to China only weeks earlier. That deportation, ordered by the then-ruling military junta, was widely criticised by human-rights organisations. Authorities initially suggested the explosion was payback for the break-up of a human-trafficking ring, yet many analysts pointed to the Uyghur link.

Torture claims and judicial delays

The two accused have repeatedly denied any involvement. Mieraili told reporters after the sentence:

“RIP Thailand’s justice system. I do not accept any of this. I have done nothing wrong.”

Both men said they were tortured in custody to extract confessions. Their lawyers argued the court failed to consider crucial aspects of their defence, including the alleged ill-treatment, but the judges said there was little evidence of torture. The trial, which started in 2016 before a military court and transferred to a civilian court in 2022, was slowed by interpreter shortages and Covid-19 interruptions. Co-counsel Chamroen Panompakakorn sought to reassure his client:

“Don't be frightened, there are three other courts.”

A one-month window for appeals is now open.

Regional fallout

Beijing welcomed the verdict. Foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian declared:

“The perpetrators acted with utter inhumanity and committed a heinous crime.”

The case highlights the precarious legal position of Uyghur dissidents who transit Thailand, a route used by many fleeing Xinjiang. Last year Bangkok deported another 40 Uyghurs to China, ignoring UN warnings of torture and irreparable harm.