Thai Court Sentences Two Men to Death Over 2015 Erawan Shrine Bombing

A Thai court on June 11 sentenced Yusufu Mieraili and Bilal Mohammed to death after convicting them of premeditated murder and attempted murder in the August 17, 2015 bombing at Bangkok’s Erawan Shrine. The four-judge panel found that the two men planted a device that exploded at the shrine in the city’s commercial district.

One judge stated that the defendants committed a single act that violated multiple laws and therefore received the harshest penalty available.

The blast killed 20 people and wounded more than 120 others. Debris from the explosion, including motorbike fragments, was scattered across the site, which is frequented by both Thai residents and foreign visitors including people from mainland China and Hong Kong.

Court proceedings began in a military court in 2016 before the case was transferred to a civilian court in 2022. The trial involved at least 10,000 pages of testimony and more than 400 witnesses. Prosecutors encountered difficulties locating an appropriate interpreter for the defendants.

Both men denied the charges throughout the proceedings. After the verdict one defendant stated that he did not accept the outcome and had done nothing wrong. The pair plan to appeal within a month.

China’s foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said the attackers were “totally inhumane and extremely heinous.” He added that China supports Thailand “in conducting the trial in accordance with the law and severely punishing the murderers.”

No group claimed responsibility for the attack.