Malaysia to charge women for airport murder of north korean

Malaysia has decided to charge two women, one Indonesian and one Vietnamese, with the murder of Kim Jong Nam, the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) in February 2017.

The two women, Siti Aisyah and Doan Thi Huong, were arrested at the airport on February 14, 2017, shortly after the attack, and have been held in custody since then.

The charges against the women were announced by Malaysian Attorney General Tommy Thomas on January 22, 2020, after a lengthy investigation and a series of court hearings.

According to the charges, Siti Aisyah and Doan Thi Huong are accused of murdering Kim Jong Nam by applying a toxic nerve agent, VX, to his face at KLIA's departure gate. The attack occurred on February 13, 2017, at around 8:20 am local time.

The two women are alleged to have been recruited by North Korean agents to carry out the assassination, which was reportedly ordered by Kim Jong Un himself. The motive behind the murder is believed to be Kim Jong Nam's criticism of his family's authoritarian rule and his perceived threat to the regime.

If convicted, Siti Aisyah and Doan Thi Huong could face the death penalty. The trial is expected to begin in March 2020.

The case has sparked international attention and diplomatic tensions between Malaysia and North Korea, with Malaysia initially refusing to extradite the suspects to North Korea and instead charging them with murder. North Korea has denied any involvement in the assassination and has accused Malaysia of being involved in a conspiracy to kill Kim Jong Nam.

The case has also raised questions about the use of VX nerve agent, which is banned by international law, and the involvement of North Korean agents in the assassination.