Updated 1525 KST to include reason for defendant’s release as provided by the Malaysian Attorney General

One of the two suspects on trial in Malaysia for the murder of the North Korean leader’s half-brother Kim Jong Nam was set free early Monday as a result of an apparent political gesture, as the other was set to mount their defense the same day.

Indonesian defendant Siti Aisyah (27) was released after hearing the ruling in court, where she and Vietnamese defendant Doan Thi Huong (30) appeared Monday at the start of Doan’s defense phase of the trial.

Doan’s lawyer, meanwhile, told