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WALL STREET JOURNAL
Malaysia Won’t Free Woman Accused of
Killing Kim Jong Un’s Half-Brother
Prosecutors had just dropped charges against her Indonesian
co-defendant, but Vietnam’s Doan Thi Huong could be executed if found
guilty By
Ben Otto and Yantoultra Ngui SHAH
ALAM, Malaysia—Prosecutors won’t release a Vietnamese woman accused of
killing North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un’s half-brother in 2017, just
days after her co-defendant was freed and sent back to Indonesia. On
Thursday, prosecutors said they rejected a bid to drop charges against
30-year-old Doan Thi Huong. She could be executed by hanging if
convicted of murderingKim Jong Nam in a Malaysian airport. Ms.
Huong applied for release after prosecutors dropped charges on Monday
against her Indonesian co-defendant, 27-year-old Siti Aisyah, following
a flurry of intense diplomatic lobbying. Ms. Aisyah was freed and flew
back to Jakarta after more than two years in custody.
Following Ms. Aisyah’s release, Vietnam stepped up its own diplomatic
efforts. Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh called his Malaysian
counterpart Tuesday to ask that Ms. Huong be freed. In a tweet,
Vietnam’s foreign ministry said a request was made for “the Malaysian
side to ensure fair judgment for Huong & to set her free.” Tell
my family to pray for me. Please call them. Tell them I didn’t do
anything. In
court on Thursday, Ms. Huong, who had been expected to begin her defense
testimony this week, barely reacted to the news. Her lawyer told the
court she had scarcely slept this week and the judge postponed
proceedings until April 1. “We
are obviously disappointed with the decision by the attorney general not
to withdraw the charges,” Ms. Huong’s lawyer, Hisyam Teh Poh Teik, said
in court. “I
have no idea what’s happening,” Ms. Huong said to a Vietnamese official
as the court adjourned, a translator told reporters. “Tell my family to
pray for me. Please call them. Tell them I didn’t do anything.”
Prosecutors didn’t provide a reason for rejecting Ms. Huong’s release.
Ms. Huong’s lawyer told reporters that while there is no legal
requirement for the attorney general to explain the decision, “there is
a moral obligation to explain.” He said he would apply again to free Ms.
Huong, adding that Vietnamese officials are ramping up efforts as well.
“We believe the Vietnamese government will do more,” he said.
Attempts to reach the Vietnamese embassy in Malaysia were unsuccessful.
The Malaysian attorney general didn’t reply to a request for comment.
Indonesian officials have said Ms. Aisyah was freed following a
prolonged diplomatic push, including an exchange of letters between
Malaysia’s attorney general and Indonesia’s law minister.
Indonesia’s law minister cited good bilateral relations in urging for
Ms. Aisyah’s freedom, and argued she had been duped. Both women maintain
they believed they were involved in a prank show being filmed by hidden
cameras. Investigators say they were directed by a hit team of North
Korean agents, several of whom flew from Malaysia immediately after the
attack. The
women were caught on CCTV appearing to assault Kim Jong Nam, the
estranged elder sibling of North Korea’s leader, at Malaysia’s main
international airport in February 2017. In the video, Ms. Aisyah
approached Mr. Kim near an airline kiosk, appearing to get his
attention. A moment later, Ms. Huong approached Mr. Kim from behind,
quickly reaching up and wrapping her arms around his face. Mr. Kim
jerked backward, clearly stunned. The
encounter lasted only seconds, and both women walked quickly away in
opposite directions. Mr.
Kim died shortly afterward of what Malaysian investigators said was
exposure to VX, a toxic nerve agent banned by the United Nations.
Malaysian authorities have sought to arrest four North Koreans they say
were involved in the attack, but the two women, who were caught in
Malaysia in subsequent days, were the only people to go on trial for it. Mr.
Kim, who lived in exile in Macau, had been a sometime critic of Kim Jong
Un’s regime, and according to Malaysian investigators had feared for his
life as his younger sibling consolidated power and cleared ranks around
him. North Korea experts said the hit amounted to a political
assassination. North
Korea officially denies any role in the attack. But last year, in
advance of a second summit between President Trump and Kim Jong Un in
Hanoi, North Korean officials expressed regret to Vietnam for the
killing, including for allegedly using the son of a former North Korean
ambassador to Vietnam to recruit Ms. Huong into the plot, two people
familiar with the situation said. |