Zimbabwe News Update
bbc
3 min read
The wife of a Malaysian pastor abducted eight years ago has won a lawsuit against the police and the government, in a landmark case that has gripped the nation.Raymond Koh was pulled out of his carby masked men in a suburb of the capital Kuala Lumpur in 2017. His whereabouts remain unknown – his family has long maintained he was taken by police.On Wednesday, the high court ruled he had been forcibly disappeared, with the judge holding the government and police responsible for his abduction. It is Malaysia’s first such judgement.The court also ruled that the state must pay more than 31m ringgit (£5.7m; $7.4m) to Mr Koh’s family, the largest sum for damages in Malaysian legal history.
In an emotional speech following the decision, his wife Susanna Liew told reporters: “We are overjoyed and thankful to God that we have a fair and honest judgement.”Though this will not bring Pastor Raymond back, it is somewhat a vindication and closure for the family,” she said.”We dedicate this struggle and judgement to Pastor Raymond Koh, a man of compassion and courage, and to all victims of enforced disappearances.”The disappearance of Mr Koh, along with the abduction of activist Amri Che Mat, has long intrigued Malaysia.Both cases took place within months of each other between the end of 2016 and early 2017, and led to heated public speculation.Mr Koh’s case, in particular, dominated the headlines because his abduction took place in broad daylight and had been captured on a CCTV camera, and was witnessed by passers-by.Both families had insisted that the men had been taken by the police, which the police consistently denied.The men’s disappearances prompted two investigations, one conducted by Malaysia’s human rights commission, and another by the government.Both investigations eventually concluded that the men had likely been abducted by the elite Special Branch of the police as they were perceived as threats to mainstream Islam in Muslim-majority Malaysia.The government report – which was classified as secret until the families sued for access – said that “rogue cops” were responsible for the abductions, and the official who led the operation had “extreme views” against Christians and Shia Muslims.Mr Koh had been targeted because he was suspected of proselytising to Muslims, which his family has denied.
Apostasy is illegal in Malaysia.Amri Che Mat had come under suspicion as he is a Shia Muslim. Malaysia practises a moderate form of Sunni Islam.The wives of Raymond Koh and Amri Che Mat separately sued the state for damages and to force the authorities to reveal their husbands’ whereabouts.
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