SHAH ALAM, Malaysia – An Indonesian woman accused of assassinating the North Korean leader’s half-brother was freed Monday after Malaysian prosecutors dropped a murder charge against her, in a shock decision a year and a half after she went on trial. It was a surprise move as the Shah Alam High Court, outside Kuala Lumpur, had been due only to hear Vietnamese accused Doan Thi Huong testify on Monday. Four North Koreans — formally accused of the murder alongside the women — fled Malaysia shortly after the assassination. But at the start of the hearing, prosecutor Muhammad Iskandar Ahmad requested that the murder charge against Aisyah be withdrawn and that she be given a discharge, without providing a reason. A murder conviction carries a mandatory penalty of death in Malaysia.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer March 11, 2019 06:00 UTC