Judge rejects plea to stop Kim murder trial

SHAH ALAM, MALAYSIA • Two women accused of murdering Kim Jong Un’s halfbrother were told Thursday that their trial must proceed.

The pair’s lawyers had argued that they were pawns in an elaborate plot by North Korea to murder Kim Jong Nam, who was living in exile and estranged from his younger brother.

However, Azmi Ariffin, a High Court judge, said the evidence suggested a wellplanned murder conspiracy between Siti Aisyah, 25, an Indonesian, and Doan Thi Huong, 29, a Vietnamese suspect.

He ordered the two women to enter their defence to the charges, and the defence phase of the trial is expected to begin in November.

Indonesian Ambassador Rusdi Kirana told reporters outside the court that he was shocked by the decision but his government will abide by it. The two defendants wore armoured vests at they arrived at the courtroom Thursday escorted by armed guards.

They claim they were tricked into believing that they were actors in a prank TV show when they smeared lethal VX nerve agent on Kim’s face. After the judge’s ruling, Hisyam Teh Poh Teik, a lawyer who is representing Huong, said “Though we are disappointed with the ruling, this is not the final ruling. We are still confident.”

He added that the judge had found the contrast in his client’s facial expressions before and after the killing at Kuala Lumpur airport in 2017 to be “suspicious” and wanted her to explain.

“Doan has chosen to give evidence ... her evidence will be co-examined and tested by the prosecution,” he said.

In Huong’s village in Vietnam, her family said they were sad to hear she was not acquitted. Her father, Doan Van Thanh, said he could not sleep last night.

“I had hoped the court would announce that she is innocent but now we are really worried for her,” he said. Huong’s brother, Doan Van Binh, said the family hopes she will receive a fair trial.

The women are the only suspects in custody. Four North Koreans said to have masterminded the plot and given them the poison have fled Malaysia.

Video recordings played in court showed the defendants meeting the four fugitives at the airport before the attack. They also show Huong appearing to smear something on Kim’s face.

The women’s lawyers argue that the pair, who are from poor backgrounds, were exploited as scapegoats by the North Korean regime. Pyongyang has denied it was behind the murder.

Malaysian officials have never officially accused North Korea and have made it clear they don’t want the trial politicized.