CITIZENS Against Enforced Disappearances (CAGED) will continue to remind the authorities that the families of the victims of enforced disappearances are still seeking answers.

In conjunction with the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances today (August 30), Caged plans to showcase a series of eight short videos on what had transpired on the cases of missing persons in the country.

The four missing persons are Pastor Raymond Koh, Perlis activist Amri Che Mat and Pastor Joshua Hilmy and his wife Ruth Sitepu.

Caged released their first video on Saturday, entitled “Shut your bloody mouth”. The title is a quote from former inspector-general of police Khalid Abu Bakar, who had told the public to do this when he urged the people to stop speculating over the disappearance of Koh.

The short clip is a brief chronology of the disappearance of the four people.

Caged spokesman Rama Ramanathan said the purpose of the videos was to show what had transpired in the cases of the missing four.

“It is to remind the authorities that the families of the victims of enforced disappearances want to know what had happened to them.

“It (first video) is to show how the former IGP had brushed off the investigations and told the public to shut up,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

He said that despite Khalid’s comments nothing had materialised on the investigations.

It was reported on March 20, 2017 that during a press conference Khalid had reminded the media that too much speculation on Koh’s case could endanger the victim.

“I am worried, because our investigation is at a stalemate as we don’t have further information on the missing pastor. I believe it is due to too much publicity.

“To the media, individuals and NGO who want to get involved in kidnap cases, shut your bloody mouth; you are putting the victim at a high degree of danger,” he had said.

Rama said that over the next few days, they will release several more short videos.

It will feature what Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) commissioners Mah Weng Kwai and Hishamudin Yunus said during the public inquiry into the missing activists, as well as what lawyers, family members and activists have said on the missing four.

He said abduction is “a crime for which Malaysia’s penal code calls for the death penalty”.

“The home minister, law minister and the IGP must commit to declassifying the findings of the Koh and Amri task force which was formed to look into Suhakam’s findings.

“They must also undertake to find, charge, prosecute and punish the perpetrators of these serious crimes, without fear of favour.”

Task force findings

Rama said that Malaysia must do more to prevent enforced disappearances as a government with a seat on the Human Rights Council of the United Nations.

“We would expect Malaysia to present itself as a benchmark of human rights.

“Yet, the government of Malaysia has done nothing in response to the disappearances of Amri and Koh.

“This is after exhaustive investigations conducted according to Malaysian and international standards, and classified as enforced disappearances.

“Our foreign minister, home minister, law minister and prime minister still remain silent.”

Rama said that the police and the government need to be reminded that the police have never been exonerated for their culpability in the abduction and disappearance of Amri and Koh.

On February 13, 2017  Koh was abducted by masked men in Jalan SS4B/10, Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

A police report was lodged against him a few months later for allegedly proselytising youth.

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

Joshua and Ruth’s had disappeared in November, 2016. Their disappearance was reported by their friend Peter Pormannan, who had known the couple since 2012.

He lodged a police report on March 6, 2017, after not hearing from Joshua for months.

In April 2019, in the cases of Koh and Amri, the Suhakam panel was unanimous in finding that Special Branch personnel from the federal police headquarters had abducted the duo in commando-style operations.

After Suhakam made known its findings, then home minister Muhyiddin Yassin announced the setting up of a special task force to investigate Koh’s and Amri’s cases in 2019.

However, in September 2021, the government refused to make the report available on the grounds that it was classified under the Official Secrets Act (OSA).

On April 15 this year, Suhakam concluded that Joshua Hilmy and Ruth were also victims of enforced disappearance.

The panel, however, could find no evidence that state agents were involved in their 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. – August 30, 2022.