Malaysian authorities refused to release Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong, a suspect in the murder of the holder of a Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) passport with the name of Kim Chol, days after her Indonesian co-accused was freed.
Doan Thi Huong is escorted to the Shah Alam High Court on March 14 (Photo: AFP)
At the Shah Alam High Court in Selangor state of Malaysia on March 14 morning, Doan Thi Huong broke down in tears as a prosecutor announced the attorney-general had rejected a request from Vietnamese authorities to free her and her trial would continue.
She has been on trial for a year and a half over the 2017 assassination of Kim Chol at Kuala Lumpur airport.
On Monday a murder charge was unexpectedly withdrawn against the Indonesian woman accused alongside her, sparking calls from Vietnam for Huong to be freed and prompting her lawyers to apply for her release.
The Vietnamese defendant, who had to be helped out of court by two police officers following the shock announcement, tearfully told reporters: "I am depressed. I am innocent... I want my family to pray for me."
Huong's lawyer said he would make a second bid to get the charge against her dropped, and criticised the failure to free her following the release of the Indonesian, Siti Aisyah.
The Thursday trial attracted significant media attention, with about 100 reporters covering it.
At a trial in August 2018, the high court declared they had collected sufficient evidence to indicate the two women and four DPRK suspects who fled the country had taken part in a scheme to murder Kim Chol.
