On March 1, 2014, a knife attack occurred at Kunming Railway Station, left 31 dead and 141 injured. Police killed five attackers on the spot and arrested one. The attack was shortly classified as terrorist attack, Iskandar Aiheti, who was detained two days earlier for illegal border crossing, was held responsible as organisers despite not directly participating.
Ultimately, Aiheti, along with two other co-defendants, were sentenced to death on 12 September 2014, and executed on 16 June 2014 upon the approval by the Supreme People’s Court. According to official reports, court-appointed interpreters ensured the defendants could use their native language during the trial, and state-appointed lawyers provided their defence.
The case occurred amid escalating ethnic tensions and is regarded as a turning point in China’s national counter-terrorism policy and the ongoing crackdown in Xinjiang.
In 2009, a factory dispute in Guangdong led to Uyghur worker injuries, sparking the “July 5 Incident” in Urumqi and escalating ethnic tensions. From 2012 to 2014, China linked several attacks to Uyghur separatists, with Kunming being the deadliest, and had executed 13 individuals in 2014. In response, the government launched a nationwide anti-terror campaign, including a year-long crackdown in Xinjiang, later institutionalized.
The court ruling was not publicly available. Therefore, the case brief is based on information reported by state media disclosed, and an analysis of the verdict by a judge served at the Supreme People’s Court, both of which failed to provide information on the evidence. The analysis, although non-binding, serves as a reference for judges in convicting terrorist organisation members and applying the death penalty in terrorism cases.