November 7, 2025
KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia’s Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) said on Nov 6 it will appeal against two landmark court rulings that held the government and police responsible for the enforced disappearances of a Christian pastor and a Muslim social activist.
Meanwhile, Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution said he will meet ministry officials and the AGC on Nov 7 to review the decisions that ordered the government to pay millions of ringgit in compensation for the abductions of Pastor Raymond Koh and Mr Amri Che Mat.
The court rulings have now bolstered calls for the police’s intelligence unit, called the Special Branch, to be held accountable for these cases, with activists hoping for the families of the two men to find justice.
Datuk Seri Saifuddin told reporters: “Once we have the full briefing, we will determine the direction of the investigation, how the case should be classified, and other related matters. That is the current step we are taking. I should not make any hasty statements until I have all the information.”
In two separate rulings on Nov 5, the High Court in Kuala Lumpur ordered the government to pay millions of ringgit in compensation to the families of the two men, affirming an inquiry that ruled they were victims of abductions.
An inquiry by Malaysia’s Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) in 2019 found that the Special Branch was responsible for the enforced disappearances of Mr Koh in 2017, and Mr Amri in 2016.
An “enforced disappearance” refers to the arrest, detention or abduction of a person by agents of the state, with the person’s fate or whereabouts concealed after that.
Both men had been investigated for allegedly proselytising other religions to Muslims.
Nobody was charged in connection to their disappearances.
In a rare decision, the court ordered the government and police to pay compensation of RM10,000 (S$3,100) a day from the date of Mr Koh’s disappearance. Including RM6.25 million in damages and costs, the amount came to over RM37 million for Mr Koh’s family.
The court also ordered that compensation of RM3.26 million be paid to Mr Amri’s wife. Human rights advocates have described the rulings as a breakthrough for accountability.
Malay Mail reported that Justice Su Tiang Joo delivered scathing remarks in his ruling, saying “it offends the concept of fairness, reasonableness, and justice” to use public funds to pay for the wrongdoings of government servants.
The judge also noted that Mr Koh’s abduction was similar to the disappearance of Mr Amri, and had involved a vehicle registered to a Special Branch officer.
“This is not random violence. This fact drives the court to hold that it is an organised unit (behind the abduction),” he said.
The High Court also directed the police to reopen investigations into the disappearances of the two men.
According to eyewitness accounts, both men were abducted after the vehicles they were driving were surrounded by other cars. CCTV footage of Mr Koh’s abduction showed that at least 15 men, some armed, in three black SUVs, were involved in the attack.
Commenting on the rulings, lobby group Citizens Against Enforced Disappearances welcomed the judgments. “(Justice Su) called a spade a spade. He said despite Suhakam and the special task force calling for an investigation, those who wielded power did nothing… are hiding the truth and shielding the perpetrators,” the group’s spokesman Rama Ramanathan told The Straits Times.
Mr Ramanathan also called on the government to set up a special task force to investigate unresolved cases of enforced disappearances, with oversight by a Parliamentary Select Committee.
Mr Zaid Malek, director of rights group Lawyers for Liberty, said successive governments’ refusal to acknowledge the enforced disappearances had caused “untold hardship” for the victims’ families.
“With the previous findings from Suhakam and the recent decision of the court, a refusal to acknowledge it would be an affront to the rule of law,” he told ST.
“A government that resists and denies institutional checks and safeguards is not a government that can be trusted by the people.”
Mr Zaid added that the authorities must now take “transparent and consistent” steps to investigate the disappearances and hold those responsible to account.
“Failure to act would be tacit endorsement that those in power have free reign over the people’s lives, free from any repercussions,” he said.
Former MP and former director of human rights group Suaram, Dr Kua Kia Soong, said in a letter published by news portal Free Malaysia Today on Nov 6 that the ruling was a “landmark victory for truth”. He said the government’s decision to appeal against the rulings “is not only unconscionable, but a betrayal of justice, compassions, and the very principles that the Madani government champions”, referring to the Anwar administration.
Malaysia has seen a string of unresolved cases linked to law enforcement agencies over the last two decades, including the deaths of Mongolian model Altantuya Shaariibuu in 2006 and political aide Teoh Beng Hock in 2009.
The High Court in Shah Alam had in 2022 ordered two policemen, former political analyst Razak Baginda and the Malaysian government to pay RM5 million in damages to Ms Altantuya’s family, with the case currently pending appeal. Mr Razak, at the time a close associate of former prime minister Najib Razak, was ruled as being the link between the policemen and the deceased.
In Mr Teoh’s case, he was found dead after falling from a Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) office in Selangor. In 2024, the Malaysian government agreed to reopen the investigation into his death.
In the most recent case, businesswoman Pamela Ling, was allegedly abducted in April 2025, just outside the MACC headquarters in Putrajaya.
Madam Ling was on her way to give a statement related to a corruption and money-laundering investigation involving her and her husband. She remains missing.
Additional reporting by Muzliza Mustafa
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