Thai Court Sentences Two Uyghur Men to Death Over 2015 Bangkok Shrine Bombing

A Thai court has sentenced two Uyghur men to death for their involvement in the 2015 Erawan Shrine bombing in Bangkok, which killed 20 people and injured about 120 others. The men, both Chinese nationals, were convicted of premeditated and attempted murder after prosecutors presented evidence including video footage, fingerprints and other forensic links to the attack. They have denied the charges and plan to appeal. The case, which began in 2016, was delayed for years due to translation issues and the COVID-19 pandemic, and no group ever claimed responsibility for the bombing.

A court in Thailand has sentenced two ethnic Uyghur men to death over a deadly bombing in Bangkok that occurred more than a decade ago, in a case that has drawn long-running legal and political attention.
The two defendants, both Chinese nationals, were found guilty of premeditated murder and attempted murder in connection with the explosion at the Erawan Shrine on 17 August 2015. The shrine, located in central Bangkok, is a well-known religious site that attracts large numbers of visitors, particularly tourists from China.
The bombing killed 20 people and left around 120 others injured, making it one of the deadliest attacks in Thailand in recent years.
Delivering the verdict, a member of the four-judge panel stated that the court considered the offence to involve a single act that violated multiple laws, and therefore imposed the maximum penalty permitted under Thai law. “The defendants committed a single act that violated multiple laws. The court therefore imposed the harshest penalty available under the law, the death sentence,” the judge said.
Prosecutors alleged that the two men were linked to the attack through evidence including video footage, fingerprints, and other forensic materials. They were initially reported to have confessed during early questioning, but later pleaded not guilty when the full trial began in 2016.
Both men have consistently denied involvement in the bombing and have indicated plans to appeal the ruling within one month. One of the defendants, identified as Yusufu M, rejected the verdict outright, saying, “I don’t accept any of this. I didn’t do anything wrong.”
No group ever claimed responsibility for the attack. Thai authorities had earlier identified 17 suspects in connection with the bombing, although only the two men were ultimately prosecuted and brought to trial.
Officials in Thailand have previously suggested that the bombing may have been carried out by a people-smuggling network seeking revenge after a crackdown on its operations, particularly involving the trafficking of Uyghurs through Thailand. In the months leading up to the attack, Thailand’s then ruling military junta deported more than 100 Uyghurs back to China.
Uyghurs, a Muslim minority group from China’s Xinjiang region, have long been the focus of international human rights concerns. Rights organisations allege that the group faces widespread cultural, religious and political repression under Chinese authorities, claims Beijing strongly denies. China maintains that its policies in Xinjiang, including detention and “vocational training centres,” are aimed at countering extremism and maintaining stability.
The case has had a prolonged legal process, with the trial first opening in 2016 and stretching over nearly a decade due to repeated delays, including difficulties with translation services and disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.