Woman freed 2 years after killing of DPRK man
SHAH ALAM, Malaysia — Malaysia released an Indonesian woman on Monday after prosecutors dropped the murder charge against her for the death of a man from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea at Kuala Lumpur airport in 2017.
According to Xinhua News Agency, Siti Aisyah, 27, a migrant worker, was under trial alongside a Vietnamese woman of killing the DPRK man by smearing VX nerve agent on his face at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in February 2017.
They have said they thought they were taking part in a prank for a TV show, The Associated Press reported.
In a request to withdraw the charge at a court in Shah Alam, Malaysia, the public prosecutor did not give a reason for the move in court and said Aisyah was free to leave the country, Xinhua reported.
The judge then ordered Aisyah’s release without an acquittal.
Aisyah cried and hugged her Vietnamese co-defendant, Doan Thi Huong, 30, before leaving the courtroom and being ushered away in an Indonesian embassy car. She told reporters that she had only learned on Monday morning that she would be freed. Huong’s lawyers have requested that charges against her also be withdrawn, AP reported.
“I feel very happy,” Aisyah said later at a news conference at the Indonesian embassy. “I didn’t expect that today will be my freedom day.”
Wearing a red headscarf and a black flowery traditional dress, Aisyah was composed during the news conference. She said she was well treated in prison and received plenty of encouragement, but that she was eager to meet her family again, AP reported.
Indonesian Ambassador to Malaysia Rusdi Kirana told reporters: “We are pleased with the court decision. We will try to fly Siti back to Indonesia today (Monday) or as soon as possible.”
The Indonesian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that over the past two years, Aisyah’s plight was raised in “every bilateral IndonesiaMalaysia meeting”, including at the presidential level, the vice-presidential level and in regular meetings of the foreign minister and other ministers with their Malaysian counterparts.
Aisyah’s lawyer, Gooi Soon Seng, said he was grateful the prosecution had come to the conclusion, as his team had repeatedly stated that there was only minor circumstantial evidence linking her to the case.
Gooi added that the trial for Huong would continue as the prosecution had not indicated anything on her status. The trial will resume on Thursday, with prosecutors expected to reply to a request by Huong’s lawyers asking the government to similarly withdraw the charges against her, AP reported.