The Indonesian woman accused of killing Kim Jong-nam, the half-brother of North Korea’s leader, has been freed after charges against her were dropped. Siti Aisyah had been accused of smearing VX nerve agent on Mr Kim’s face in Kuala Lumpur airport in 2017.
She and her co-accused, Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong, deny murder and say they thought they were part of a TV prank. The brazen killing at an international airport left observers stunned and gripped international headlines. After several months of delay, the defence phase of the trial was set to begin Monday, with testimony from Ms Huong. However, the prosecutor in the case requested the murder charge for Siti Aisyah be dropped, without giving a reason.
In a letter to the Indonesian law minister though, Malaysia’s attorney general explained the decision was taking into account considerations Jakarta raised about the case as well as the good relations between the two countries. The judge approved the request, saying “Siti Aisyah is freed”, according to AFP news agency. However, this does not amount to an acquittal.
Ms Aisyah could have faced the death penalty if convicted. “I feel happy. I did not know this will happen. I did not expect it,” AFP cites Ms Aisyah saying as she left the court.
