When Susanna Liew stepped in front of the TV cameras at Kuala Lumpur's High Court last month, she called the moment a historic and emotional milestone. Today... the High Court has delivered a judgment of what we have long believed: that Pastor Raymond Koh was a victim of a grave injustice, the 69-year-old said in a shaky voice that evening. It was a hard-won but stunning legal victory in a case that became one of Malaysia's biggest mysteries.
Nearly nine years earlier, her husband had been snatched by masked men in broad daylight. The abduction was captured on CCTV and gripped the nation for years. The high court ruled that the elite Special Branch of the police had taken Raymond Koh, and held both the police and the Malaysian government responsible for the country's first-ever enforced disappearance case to be heard in a court.
For years, Susanna Liew fought to find out what happened to her husband, transforming from an ordinary pastor's wife to a fierce campaigner. She may never know for sure why her husband was taken, but two independent official investigations found that the police viewed Pastor Koh as a threat to Islam, Malaysia's majority religion.
Speaking to the BBC after her court victory, Liew said, A voice [inside me] said… 'So they took him in secret - I will let the whole world know'.” The ruling provides a glimmer of hope and accountability, yet the search for her husband remains ongoing, with Liew committed to ensuring the truth comes to light.
Nearly nine years earlier, her husband had been snatched by masked men in broad daylight. The abduction was captured on CCTV and gripped the nation for years. The high court ruled that the elite Special Branch of the police had taken Raymond Koh, and held both the police and the Malaysian government responsible for the country's first-ever enforced disappearance case to be heard in a court.
For years, Susanna Liew fought to find out what happened to her husband, transforming from an ordinary pastor's wife to a fierce campaigner. She may never know for sure why her husband was taken, but two independent official investigations found that the police viewed Pastor Koh as a threat to Islam, Malaysia's majority religion.
Speaking to the BBC after her court victory, Liew said, A voice [inside me] said… 'So they took him in secret - I will let the whole world know'.” The ruling provides a glimmer of hope and accountability, yet the search for her husband remains ongoing, with Liew committed to ensuring the truth comes to light.
