Terrorists executed for Kunming attack

Three organized assault on railway station last year that left 31 dead and 141 injured

Three terrorists who led the attack last year that killed 31 people in Kunming, capital of Yunnan province, were executed on Tuesday.

Iskandar Ehet, Turgun Tohtunyaz and Hasayn Muhammad were executed upon approval by the Supreme People's Court, the Kunming Intermediate People's Court said.

They were convicted and sentenced to death in September after being found guilty of murder and of organizing and leading a terrorist organization. Their death penalties were upheld by the Yunnan High People's Court a month later.

A group of assailants armed with knives randomly attacked people at the Kunming railway station, causing 31 deaths and injuring 141 people, on March 1 last year. Police shot dead four of the attackers, and wounded and captured a female suspect.

The female suspect, Patigul Tohti, who was pregnant when arrested, has been sentenced to life.

Investigators found that the three men had been training recruits for terrorist activities, including the attack at the Kunming Railway Station, since December 2013.

The three men were arrested as they were planning to illegally cross the Chinese border on Feb 27 in the Shadian township of Yunnan. Two days later, five members of the group carried out the attack.

China has faced growing threats from terrorism in recent years. After a severe terrorist attack on May 22 in Urumqi, capital of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, the central government launched a yearlong campaign to combat terrorism and violence.

The attacks at the Kunming Railway Station and at Tian'anmen Square in Beijing were two severe ones outside the region, which was regarded as the main battlefield of the anti-terrorism action.

On Oct 28, 2013, three terrorists from the group drove a jeep into a crowd at Tian'anmen Square, killing three people and injuring 39. The three suspects died at the scene when they set gasoline on fire inside the vehicle.

On June 16, a court in Xinjiang sentenced three terrorists involved in the Tian'anmen attack to death for organizing and leading a terrorist group. Five other members of the group were given prison sentences ranging from five years to life.

According to Zhou Qiang, top judge of the Supreme People's Court, Chinese courts convicted 712 people for instigating secessionist activities or participating in violent terrorist attacks last year, a year-on-year increase of 13.3 percent.

Last year, the top court published guidelines with other authorities on tackling crimes involving terrorism and religious extremism, Zhou said.

A report from the court said severe punishment, in accordance with the law, was sought by courts last year for those who committed serious offenses, including violence and terrorism.

gaobo@chinadaily.com.cn