KUALA LUMPUR: The case of Pastor Joshua Hilmy and his wife Ruth Sitepu are considered instances of enforced disappearances, says the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam).

       Suhakam commissioner Datuk Seri Hishamudin Yunus, who chaired a public inquiry into the case, however ruled out the possibility that the couple was abducted by state agents.

       He explained that the disappearances were carried out by a person or persons unknown under the acquiescence of the authorities.

       “Although there was no evidence that they were abducted by state agents, we note that negligence by the authorities to investigate the case diligently had hampered the investigation progress,” he said when releasing the findings of the public inquiry yesterday.

       Joshua, who is from Taiping, was a Muslim before converting to Christianity while his wife Ruth was from Indonesia. Both were reported missing from November 2016.

       Hishamudin also noted that there was a lack of urgency from the police, who instead treated it like any other missing person’s case.

       “This was seen where the statement of a key witness was taken only a month after he had lodged a report in March 2017, at the Klang district police headquarters.

       “We also found that no statements were taken from those living in the same house as Joshua and Ruth during the early stages of investigations,” he said, adding that more proactive measures should have been taken by the investigating officer (IO).

       He added that the IO also testified that Joshua was previously investigated under the Sedition Act in 2014, for posting defamatory remarks against Prophet Muhammad on Facebook.

       “We found it strange that the police did not investigate Joshua’s postings to find any leads which might have proved useful for their disappearances,” he said.

       The panel also found that police attempted to suppress the case by advising Ruth’s siblings Ram Ram Elisabeth and Iman Sitepu to refrain from reporting the case to the Indonesian Embassy.

       Hishamudin also called for the police to step up ongoing investigations into Joshua and Ruth’s disappearances.

       The panel also called for a legislation to combat hate speech in Malaysia, in place of the Sedition Act 1948.

       The hearing began on Feb 18, 2020, at Suhakam headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.