Thai judge accepts Uyghur bomb suspects request for Halal food

A judge on Wednesday ordered Thailand’s corrections system to provide two Uyghur terrorism suspects with the Halal food they have been requesting for years, as the pair appeared in court visibly emaciated and in wheelchairs.

Defendants Adem Karadag and Yusufu Mieraili are accused of carrying out the Aug. 17, 2015, bombing at the Erawan Shrine in central Bangkok that killed 20 people and injured scores more, just weeks after Thai authorities forcibly sent almost 100 Uyghur Muslims to China. They have been in custody since their arrests within two weeks of the attack.

Mieraili shared that “he, at 35, and Karadag, at 39, have significantly deteriorated in health, losing over 10 kg [22 pounds] due to stomach pains and chronic bloating caused by poor living conditions and inconvenient meal arrangements.”

The pair – the only two inmates housed at a temporary detention center within a military zone – would skip some meals because they were not provided Halal food as per Islamic principles.

“For three years, they didn’t provide us Halal food,” Mieraili told the judge. “We told them we don’t eat pork, yet they still served it to us, claiming there was no pork. When we ate, we found minced pork and chicken blood. We can’t eat that. We wanted them to arrange proper meals for us.”

His statement proved effective.

The defendants, who identified themselves as Uyghurs from Urumqi in the East Turkistan (Xinjiang) occupied by China, pleaded not guilty in both the military and civilian courts. They could face execution if convicted of charges, which include premeditated killing and possession of explosives.

Chalida Tajaroensuk, director of the People’s Empowerment Foundation, has been monitoring the case over the years and said the likelihood of reaching a verdict in the near future had improved.

“The case has made progress, and it seems that the court is genuinely intent on concluding the case promptly,” she said. “Orders were given for the prosecution and defense to eliminate unnecessary witnesses.”

“The defense’s rigorous questioning aimed at proving discrepancies between actual physical evidence and passport information has raised hopes that both defendants could be acquitted,” she said. “However, everything ultimately depends on the court’s judgment.”

Chalida expressed her hope for increased attention from civil society and the international community regarding the future of the two if they are acquitted. 

“The concern is what happens next for them if they are released,” she said. “If China seeks their repatriation, it becomes problematic given their decade-long struggle. We need to collectively consider how to handle this situation, including the possibility of another country offering them asylum, which could ensure their safety.”

rfa.org