PETALING JAYA: The government should accept the Human Rights Commission's (Suhakam) comprehensive inquiry into the disappearances of Pastor Raymond Koh and Amri Che Mat instead of appointing another task force to investigate, says Malaysians Against Death Penalty (Madpet).
Voicing its disappointment with the task force, Madpet urged the government to refer the case to the Attorney General to investigate and prosecute.
"Madpet agrees that there is no need for yet another inquiry to be conducted by the new task force.
"What is needed now investigation with the objective of prosecution, or some other legal suit to ensure justice be done," its founding coordinator Charles Hector said in a statement on Wednesday (July 3).
"As such, the Attorney General or public prosecutor is maybe the best person to handle the task of further investigating to get more evidence with the objective of prosecution," he added.
Hector said Suhakam's 95-page reports into both cases, which took into account the 20 days of hearing and 16 witnesses, was thorough.
He also questioned whether the motive of the controversial task force was to "delay justice" as Suhakam's report alleged that these were cases of enforced disappearances involving the police and the Special Branch.
"If this new task force proceeds, that inquiry may take 10 to 15 months, and at the end of the day, we may again get recommendations," he said, adding that the power to prosecute is with the Attorney General.
Hector said as the police was implicated, they should not take the lead in conducting further investigations or the gathering of evidence for the purpose of prosecuting suspected police officers.
Pointing out that the Suhakam commissioners were appointed by the King, he added that the establishment of the task force might be considered disrespectful to Human Rights Commissioners appointed by the King.
Hector called on Suhakam to proceed with its public inquiry into the disappearance of Pastor Joshua Hilmy and his wife Ruth Hilmy.
He also called on the government to immediately ratify the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.
Koh went missing in 2017 after he was abducted by a group of men in Petaling Jaya.
Amri, who was investigated for allegedly spreading Syiah teachings, went missing in 2016 after he left his home in Kangar, Perlis.
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