AUGUST 30 — In commemorating the spirit of the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) calls for Malaysia’s accession to the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance (ICPPED) and put in place legal remedies to address enforced disappearance in the country.
30 August has been declared by the United Nations General Assembly as the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearance in view of the increase in enforced disappearance in countries around the world. The disappearances of activists, namely Pastor Raymond Koh, Amri Che Mat, Joshua Hilmy and Ruth Sitepu remain unresolved till today. And there is still no law or remedies in the country which address enforced disappearance of persons, especially if it involves state actors or agents.
Based on Suhakam’s 2019 report on its public inquiry into the disappearances of Pastor Raymond Koh and Amri Che Mat, it was concluded that enforced disappearance had taken place. Suhakam notes that the Government has set up a task force in 2019 to look into Suhakam’s findings from the public inquiry. In this regard, Suhakam calls for the report of the task force to be made public.
Currently, Suhakam is continuing its public inquiry into the disappearance of Joshua Hilmy and Ruth Sitepu and this is expected to be concluded by end of this year.
Lastly, Suhakam reiterates its call for Malaysia to accede to ICPPED as the first step towards establishing a sound legal framework on enforced disappearance in the country.
* This is the personal opinion of the writer or organisation and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.
