The Malaysian High Court has dropped charges against Siti Aisyah, 26, one of the two women accused of murdering Kim Jong-Nam, the estranged brother of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un. Indonesian Siti Aisyah, was released from police custody on Monday
In February 2017 Siti Aisyah and Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong were named as suspects in the murder of Kim Jong-Nam at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. The women reportedly smeared the toxic nerve agent VX on Kim Jong-Nam’s face while he was waiting for a flight to Macau. He died within 20 minutes. Siti and Doan claimed that they had been tricked into murdering him by North Korean operatives. They claim they were told they were playing a prank for a Japanese comedy show. Both tried to defend themselves and claimed that they thought they were spreading lotion on Kim Jong-Nam’s face.
“The prosecution desires to withdraw the charge against the accused. Thus, Siti Aisyah is given a discharge not amounting to an acquittal,” Judge Justice Datuk Azmi said in Shah Alam High Court, Kuala Lumpur. Earlier, public prosecutor Muhamad Iskandar Ahmad withdrew the charge against Siti Aisyah in accordance with Section 254(1) of the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC).
“I am very happy, I did not expect my release,” said Siti. “This is my day of freedom. Thank you to the Indonesian President Jokowi, the Indonesian ministries, and the government who assigned a Malaysian lawyer for me. Thank you to the Malaysian government for releasing me,” she added. The Indonesian government attributed Siti’s release to its persistent, high-level lobbying. President Jokowi even met the Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir in July to address Siti’s case, before meeting the Attorney General of Malaysia, Tommy Thomas, and later the Chief of Police. Siti’s plight was reportedly raised in almost all bilateral meetings between Indonesia and Malaysia.
The Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on Monday, claiming that Siti Aisyah was “deceived and did not realise at all that she was being manipulated by North Korean intelligence.” The discharge order, however, only applies to Siti. Doan’s trial will resume on Thursday.
Source: The Guardian
Image: Tribun News