Malaysia Court Releases Kim Jong-nam Murder Suspect Siti Aisyah

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A court in Malaysia has acquitted Siti Aisyah, who was charged with murdering Kim Jong-nam, the brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Siti, an Indonesian national, was released from custody after all charges are dropped.

According to The Star, the court dropped all charges against Siti on Monday, March 11, after prosecutors applied for her acquittal. The prosecution did not say their reason for dropping the charges.

Siti told reporters that she was surprised by the release. "I'm shocked and very happy," she was quoted saying by The Star on Monday.

Read also: Govt Continues to Push for Consular Access for Siti Aisyah

Lalu Muhammad Iqbal, the Foreign Affairs Ministry's director for Indonesians' protection and legal assistance, said that Siti's lawyers had requested for her release, but did not appeal for acquittal.

However, the court decided to acquit and release her.

Siti and Doan Thi Huong from Vietnam were tried for their alleged roles in the murder Kim Jong-nam. The women were accused of smearing the toxic nerve agent VX on his face at Kuala Lumpur airport in February 2017

Both women claimed they did not know what was happening and thought they were taking part in a prank for a Japanese comedy show. Kim Jong-nam died minutes after the toxic lotion was smeared on his face.

MARIA RITA HASUGIAN