North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s half-brother’s assassination is left diplomatically unresolved with release of last suspect in Malaysia
Vietnamese woman accused of assassinating North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s estranged half-brother Kim Jong Nam with VX nerve agent in 2017 has been released from a Malaysian jail. Doan Thi Huong, 30, walked free early Friday (May 3) morning after being held in custody for more than two years.
She was taken directly into immigration custody after her release from prison and is expected to remain there before boarding a flight to Hanoi, the Vietnamese capital, later in the day. Huong’s lawyers told local media that she looked forward to returning home and that she plans to pursue singing and acting as a career.
The release of the sole suspect held in connection with Kim’s murder in all likelihood suggests the case will fade from view without a conviction. Analysts believe that Malaysia – and the wider region – have little appetite for raising further questions over the incident amid expectations that previously strained bilateral ties will soon be normalized.
Malaysian prosecutors dropped a murder charge against Huong on April 1 following diplomatic pressure from the Vietnamese government, which had stepped up lobbying efforts for her release after prosecutors withdrew a similar murder charge against a second defendant, Indonesian national Siti Aisyah, who was released on March 11.
Nile Bowie is a writer and journalist with the Asia Times covering current affairs in Singapore and Malaysia. He can be reached at nilebowie@gmail.com.
Vietnamese woman accused of assassinating North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s estranged half-brother Kim Jong Nam with VX nerve agent in 2017 has been released from a Malaysian jail. Doan Thi Huong, 30, walked free early Friday (May 3) morning after being held in custody for more than two years.
She was taken directly into immigration custody after her release from prison and is expected to remain there before boarding a flight to Hanoi, the Vietnamese capital, later in the day. Huong’s lawyers told local media that she looked forward to returning home and that she plans to pursue singing and acting as a career.
The release of the sole suspect held in connection with Kim’s murder in all likelihood suggests the case will fade from view without a conviction. Analysts believe that Malaysia – and the wider region – have little appetite for raising further questions over the incident amid expectations that previously strained bilateral ties will soon be normalized.
Malaysian prosecutors dropped a murder charge against Huong on April 1 following diplomatic pressure from the Vietnamese government, which had stepped up lobbying efforts for her release after prosecutors withdrew a similar murder charge against a second defendant, Indonesian national Siti Aisyah, who was released on March 11.
