A Thai court has handed down death sentences to two men over a bombing that struck Bangkok in 2015. The ruling relates to one of the deadliest attacks the Thai capital has seen in recent years. After a long legal process stretching back to the attack, the court has now delivered its verdict. Both men have been sentenced to death for their roles in the case.
The attack at the centre of the case took place in 2015 at the Erawan Shrine in Bangkok. The bombing killed 20 people. It struck a busy location in the heart of the city, turning a place visited by locals and tourists alike into the scene of a mass-casualty attack. The shrine has long been one of the most recognisable sites in the Thai capital.
The human cost of the blast extended far beyond those who were killed. The explosion injured around 120 other people. The sheer number of casualties underlined the severity of the bombing and the impact it had on the many people who were in the area at the time. It remains one of the most serious attacks the city has endured.
The toll also reached well beyond Thailand's borders. Among those who died, five were from mainland China and two were from Hong Kong. That international dimension gave the attack significance far beyond the country where it happened. It drew particular attention across the wider region in the years that followed.
The two men who have now been sentenced are both from China's Uyghur minority. According to the case brought against them, they were accused of planning and carrying out the bombing. Prosecutors placed them at the centre of both the preparation and the execution of the attack. Those accusations formed the basis of the case that has now concluded at first instance.
After weighing the evidence, the court found against both men and imposed the most severe penalty available under the law. Both were sentenced to death over their alleged roles in the bombing. The verdict marks the culmination of a case that has stretched on for years since the attack took place. It also closes one chapter in a process that has been closely followed.
The legal battle, however, is not yet over. A lawyer for one of the men has said that both of the accused intend to appeal the sentence. According to the lawyer, that appeal is expected to be lodged within a month of the verdict. The case is therefore set to move to a higher court, where the death sentences handed down will be formally challenged.