A Bangkok court on Thursday sentenced two Uyghur men to death for setting off a bomb blast that killed twenty people and injured more than a hundred others more than a decade ago.
“The deaths and injuries caused by the attack are a terrible tragedy, and the victims and their families deserve justice,” Rebiya Kadeer of the International Uyghur Foundation for Human Rights and Democracy (IUHRDF) told RFA.
“However, justice cannot be achieved through proceedings that leave unanswered important questions regarding due process, the treatment of defendants and the reliability of key evidence,” Kadeer added.
No group claimed responsibility for the bombing of the Erawan Shrine in central Bangkok on August 17, 2015, but speculation called it an act of retaliation for the forced expulsion of more than 109 Uyghurs from Thailand a month earlier.
Shortly after the attack, Thai police named 17 suspects. Two Uyghurs were arrested, Adem Karadag (aka Bilal Mohammed) and Yusufu Mieraili, who were tried in 2016 for planting explosives. Both have denied all accusations against them
Hearing the verdict, Mieraili shouted “justice!” in the courtroom in English and Thai.
“RIP to the Thai justice system. I don’t accept any of this,” Mieraili added. “I didn’t do anything wrong.”
During the trial, prosecutors presented evidence that Mieraili and Karadag were near the shrine at the time of the explosion, that they communicated with each other by phone and that a taxi driver took them away from the area after the incident.
The judges said that although the defendants denied committing the crime, they failed to refute the evidence presented against them. The court gave the two men 30 days to appeal.
Defense lawyer Choochat Kanpai told reporters that they “will appeal the decision because there are many aspects of the case that the court has not fully considered, including the treatment of the defendants during the proceedings.”
The decade-long trial was plagued by delays due to the coronavirus pandemic and problems recruiting translators.
Seven Chinese tourists were among the dead when explosives – apparently left in a backpack – detonated.
Beijing welcomed these death sentences.
“The attackers were completely inhumane and extremely heinous,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian told reporters.
“China supports Thailand in conducting the trial in accordance with law and severely punishing the murderers.”
Thailand deported 40 Uyghurs to China in February 2025 despite warnings from human rights groups that they would face persecution upon their return, which was quickly condemned by the United Nations.
“These actions have reinforced fears that decisions involving Uyghurs in Thailand may be influenced by political and economic considerations linked to Beijing rather than international human rights obligations,” Rebiya Kadeer told RFA.
“In this context, it is difficult for many members of the Uyghur community to have confidence that this verdict was achieved without any political influence,” Kadeer said.
Pimuk Rakkanam reported from Bangkok. With reports from AFP and Reuters. Edited by Charlie Dharapak.