THE first witness in a public inquiry into the disappearance of Pastor Joshua Hilmy and his wife, Ruth Sitepu, told the hearing today that the pastor was sought by religious authorities before the couple went missing.

Insurance salesman Peter Pormannan told the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) panel that Joshua, a former Muslim who converted to Christianity, could have been sought by religious authorities for his religious beliefs.

“Two years after I met Joshua, he told me that religious authorities were looking for him.

“He said that it was related to what he believes and about his life experience,” said Peter at Suhakam headquarters, in Kuala Lumpur, today.

Suhakam officers then asked Peter if Joshua was threatened.

Peter said there was no threat from the religious authorities.

“Joshua also told me that his identification card stated he is a Muslim and he wanted to take it out since he has converted to Christianity.”

Peter, who has known the couple since 2012, was the first to lodge a police report when they went missing in 2017.

Lawyer Philip Koh is representing Ruth’s family. Her brother, Iman Setiawan Sitepu, and sister, Ram Ram Elisabeth, had flown in from Indonesia to attend the inquiry.

The Suhakam panel is chaired by commissioner Hishamuddin Yunus, who is assisted by commissioners Jerald Joseph and Madeline Berma.

The Suhakam inquiry was established to ascertain if Pastor Raymond Koh, Perlis activist Amri Che Mat, Joshua and Ruth were victims of enforced disappearance.

International human rights laws define enforced disappearance as when a person is secretly abducted or imprisoned by a state or political organisation, or by a third party with the authorisation, support or acquiescence of a state or political organisation.

In Koh and Amri’s cases, the Suhakam panel was unanimous in finding that Special Branch personnel from the federal police headquarters had abducted the duo in commando-style operations.

Amri was abducted on November 24, 2016. It was revealed during the inquiry that he was at the time under police surveillance for involvement in Shia activities.

Koh was snatched on February 13, 2017. A police report was lodged against him months later for allegedly proselytising to Muslim youth.

Little, however, is known about the couple, who vanished from Petaling Jaya in 2016.

Joshua and Ruth were last seen on November 30, 2016.

Ruth’s siblings also lodged a police report on the couple’s disappearance in 2018.

Ruth’s family live in the fishing village of Nambiki in northern Sumatra, Indonesia. While the family were aware of her disappearance in March 2017, they could not come to Malaysia because of financial constraints.

They last spoke to her in November 2016. – February 18, 2020.