The Citizen Action Group on Enforced Disappearance (CAGED) also urged Saifuddin to launch a fresh investigation against every enforcement officer implicated in the two cases for alleged abduction.
“Do not insult us by saying comment or action is impossible because the matter is in court. We are asking you to respect the courts and work in parallel with them for justice. Do not use the courts as cover for failures,” it said in a statement today.
Citing the national human rights commission’s (Suhakam) conclusion that Amri and Koh had been abducted by Bukit Aman’s Special Branch, the group urged the unity government to “dare to do” what its predecessor did not.
CAGED pointed out that the Dr Mahathir Mohamad-led government had formed a task force to investigate Suhakam’s findings, though its report was classified under the Official Secrets Act (OSA).
“We have no reason to believe any action has been taken in response to the report. We presume the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) has the report,” it said.
It also criticised the AGC for appealing against a court order for the government to release the report to Amri’s family, claiming it was unjust for the defendants in the civil suit to possess information that the plaintiffs do not.
Suhakam held a public inquiry into the disappearance of the duo between 2017 and 2019, before concluding that they were victims of enforced disappearance carried out by the state, specifically by the Special Branch.
Amri’s wife and Koh’s family later separately filed civil suits against the government and the police, among others.
In her suit, Amri’s wife, Norhayati Ariffin, had succeeded in her bid to compel the government to produce the task force’s classified report on Amri’s disappearance.
However, the government has appealed the court’s decision and obtained a stay order to prevent the release of the report.
CAGED also pointed out that Suhakam reported “many serious failures” in how the police handled the case of the disappearance of Joshua Hilmy and Ruth Sitepu.
“We call upon the home minister to reveal what actions have been taken in response (to the Suhakam report),” it said.