Hishamudin, who took over as the commission’s chairman last month, delivered 750 judgments during a long and distinguished career on the bench spanning 23 years, in which he presided over multiple cases involving human rights.
A lawyer by training, Hishamudin began his career in 1973 as a magistrate in Kuala Lumpur. He was promoted to president of the sessions court, before becoming the state legal adviser for Selangor. From there, he went on to serve as chief registrar of the then Supreme Court.
Hishamudin was appointed a judicial commissioner in 1992, before being made a High Court judge two years later. He was elevated to the Court of Appeal in 2009 and retired from the bench in 2015.
“My experience as a judge has brought me close to human rights issues as I had to hear and decide on a number of such cases while on the bench,” he told FMT.
“Hearing and deciding on these cases enabled me to have a better understanding and deeper appreciation of human rights issues.”
During his career on the bench, Hishamudin presided over cases involving fundamental liberties, including the right to life and basic necessities, and the freedoms of speech and religion.
With human rights issues fast evolving with new trends emerging, Hishamudin said Suhakam needs to expand its human resources and establish more regional offices to deal with a host of issues.
Suhakam is based in Kuala Lumpur and presently has regional offices in Kota Kinabalu and Kuching.
Hishamudin said that overall, Suhakam’s investigations and recommendations are in accordance with the Federal Constitution and international human rights standards. He said the commission aims to ensure that human rights infringements are addressed adequately and in line with international standards and obligations.
A Suhakam commissioner from 2019 to 2022, Hishamudin led a panel which launched an inquiry into the disappearance of Pastor Joshua Hilmy and his wife, Ruth Sitepu. The panel unanimously found that the couple were victims of enforced disappearance.
Nonetheless, the three-member panel, which included then Suhakam commissioners Jerald Joseph and Madeline Berma, did not find any evidence that the duo were abducted by agents of the state.
Suhakam also held an inquiry into the disappearance of activist Amri Che Mat and Pastor Raymond Koh between 2017 and 2019, which concluded that they were victims of enforced disappearance carried out by the state, specifically, by Bukit Aman’s Special Branch.
Hishamudin said Suhakam has to date made several recommendations to the government to ensure that such incidents are not repeated.
In a report into Joshua and Ruth’s disappearance released on April 15, 2022, Suhakam recommended that the police strengthen and improvise SOPs covering investigations into missing persons, abductions and disappearances. It also called on Putrajaya to step up investigations into the couple’s disappearance.
The commission also recommended that police investigation papers be shared with other investigative bodies and called for better promotion and education about the country’s witness protection programme.
He said Suhakam has also called on the authorities to respect freedom of religion as a fundamental human right.
“Suhakam hopes the government will implement its recommendations in addressing enforced disappearances and similar human rights violations,” said Hishamudin.