KUALA LUMPUR – The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) said that the shortcomings in police investigations into the disappearance of Christian preacher Joshua Hilmy and his wife Ruth Sitepu amounted to the state’s “acquiescence” to the abduction of the couple.
According to a report by Suhakam following an inquiry into the case, the police force’s conduct was highly unsatisfactory and inadequate.
It however noted that there is a lack of evidence to conclude that both Joshua and Ruth were abducted by the state itself.
“The enforced disappearances of Joshua and Ruth were carried out by a person or people unknown, with the acquiescence of the police force as the agent of the state, followed by a refusal on the part of the police force to acknowledge the deprivation of their liberty, and such refusal to acknowledge has placed these two people outside the protection of the law.
“The panel finds that police have not taken serious, prompt, and adequate steps to investigate the enforced disappearances of Joshua and Ruth,” Suhakam said in the report titled “Final Report on the Public Inquiry into the Disappearances of Joshua Hilmy and Ruth Sitepu”.
Joshua and Ruth were last seen on November 30, 2016, after leaving their home in Kg Tunku, Petaling Jaya and have never been heard of since.
The couple drew controversy as Joshua, a Malay-Muslim who converted to Christianity and became a pastor, was reported to have proselytised other Muslims in Malaysia.
Suhakam suggested that during the course of their investigations into the couple’s disappearance, the investigating officer failed to act immediately during the early stages and garner necessary information.
Further, although the first police report on the disappearance was received in March 2017, the police officer only signalled to other police stations throughout the country over the matter three months later.
“There was a gap of about three months before he disseminated the information about the missing couple to all police stations across the country.
“The panel believes that it is the responsibility of the investigating officer to use all available means to gather information about the missing couple and it is essential to do it at the preliminary stage of the investigation on an urgent basis,” Suhakam's report reads.
Additionally, despite evidence that there was a transaction from Joshua’s bank account three months after his disappearance, the police force did not proactively investigate this particular occurrence with the investigating officer in the hope that the matter would be pursued by his replacement.
In the report, Suhakam claimed that the police force had in fact succeeded in identifying the owner of the receiving account, who happens to be a friend of Joshua.
Also, during the course of investigations, Ruth’s family from Indonesia was advised by Malaysian authorities not to report the case to the Indonesian embassy, forcing Suhakam to conclude that the police tried to suppress the case from other agencies and the public.
These reasons, among other things, have led the Suhakam panel to conclude that both Joshua and Ruth are victims of enforced disappearances.
Joshua and Ruth were last seen on the night of November 30, 2016. Their disappearance took place just six days after activist Amri Che Mat was abducted on November 24, 2016.
Their disappearances are believed to be linked to that of another pastor, Raymond Koh, who was recorded on CCTV being stopped while driving by at least 15 men in three black SUVs and taken away on February 13, 2017, never to be seen again. – The Vibes, April 15, 2022
