Kim Jong-nam murder: Women plead not guilty in Malaysia trial
Image copyright Reuters Image caption Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong (left) and Indonesian Siti Aisyah (right) are accused of killing Mr Kim
Two women have pleaded not guilty in the murder of Kim Jong-nam, the half-brother of North Korea’s leader, at the start of their trial in Malaysia.
Mr Kim died in February at Kuala Lumpur airport, in a widely publicised case.
Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong and Indonesian Siti Aisyah allegedly rubbed toxic nerve agent VX on his face.
The two women have claimed they were tricked into doing so. North Korean agents are widely suspected of orchestrating the attack.
Pyongyang has denied any involvement in the death.
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The women were seen entering a court in Shah Alam, outside of Kuala Lumpur, with their heads bowed on Monday morning.
They entered their pleas through interpreters, according to Reuters.
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media captionWhy was North Korea’s Kim Jong-nam killed?
Mr Kim was the estranged older half-brother of leader Kim Jong-un, and had been living overseas at the time of his death.
CCTV cameras captured the two women accosting him at Kuala Lumpur’s airport on the morning of 13 February and rubbing their hands on his face. He immediately sought help from airport staff, but collapsed and died minutes later.
Malaysian authorities conducted an autopsy and announced he died after coming into contact with VX, which is classified as a weapon of mass destruction by the United Nations.
The two women were arrested by Malaysian police days after his death. Their defence lawyers have said they will argue that the real culprits have left Malaysia.
Malaysia has named several North Koreans, who fled the country shortly after the killing, in connection to the case.
The incident led to a diplomatic row and a severe strain in ties between the two countries, which expelled each other’s ambassadors.
