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Kim Jong-nam murder trial set for October

A Malaysian court on Friday announced that the trial for the murder of Kim Jong-nam, the estranged half-brother of North…

Kim Jong-nam murder trial set for October

A Malaysian court on Friday announced that the trial for the murder of Kim Jong-nam, the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, will begin on October 2.

Shah Alam High Court judge Justice Azmi Ariffin set the date for the trial, reports The Malaysian Star daily.

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He said plea from both the accused — Indonesian Siti Aisyah and Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong — will be recorded on the first day of the trial.

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Prosecutor Muhamad Iskandar Ahmad said the prosecution would be calling 30 to 40 witnesses, including 10 experts, to testify.

If convicted, both women face death penalty for murdering Kim Jong-nam at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport on February 13.

The two women allegedly smeared his face with the toxic VX nerve agent, a chemical deemed by the UN as a weapon of mass destruction.

Kim Jong-nam, the eldest son of the late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, had spoken out publicly against his family's dynastic control of the isolated, nuclear-armed nation.

Aisyah and Huong said that they believed they were carrying out a prank for a reality television show, and not a murder.

The case caused a diplomatic impasse between the two countries, which saw Malaysia deport some 140 North Korean workers in April.
 

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