Gender: Male

Perpetrator: Malaysia

Religion or Belief: Christian – Protestant

Date of Detainment: February/13/2017

Current Status: Unknown

Religious Leader: Yes

Most Recent Type of Abuse: Disappeared

Reason for Persecution: Humanitarian Work & Charitable Activities Religious Activity Religious Figure & Religious Leadership Role

Nature of Charges: Not Applicable

Raymond Koh

Extra Bio Info:

Raymond Koh was forcibly disappeared for his religious activity.

On February 13, 2017, fifteen Royal Malaysian Police officers in three black SUVs surrounded Koh's vehicle and abducted him. Koh was a Christian pastor and the leader of a humanitarian NGO which focused on helping people living with HIV/AIDs, people recovering from substance abuse disorder, and single mothers and children. Prior to his arrest, local Islamic authorities investigated his NGO over allegations that it was being used to convert Muslims to Christianity. 

On April 3, 2019, after an 18-month investigation, the national Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM) announced that Koh was a victim of forced disappearance, noting that the Special Branch, an intelligence unit affiliated with the Malaysian police force, targeted Koh specifically for his religious activities. On June 26, 2019, the government established a task force to investigate the whereabouts of Koh and other disappeared persons. In February 2020, Koh's wife filed a lawsuit against the government to make public the task force's report.

In October 2024, Malaysian government officials released the task force report denying that Koh had been officially sanctioned or forcibly disappeared, but blamed his abduction on rogue police officers. On November 5, 2025, the High Court ruled in favor of Pastor Raymond Koh's family, finding the Malaysian government and police were liable for his abduction and enforced disappearance in 2017. The court ordered the government to pay a substantial sum in damagesRM10,000 per day from the date of the abduction until his whereabouts are revealed.

Publicly Available Information:

Additional Name(s): Adiljan Tuniyaz, ئادىل تۇنىياز, 阿地里江·吐尼亚孜

Gender: Male

Perpetrator: China

Ethnic Group: Uyghur

Religion or Belief: Muslim – Unspecified/Other

Reports of Torture: No

Reports of Medical Neglect: No

Date of Detainment: December/25/2017

Current Status: Not Released

Religious Leader: No

Most Recent Type of Abuse: Detainment

Reason for Persecution: Ethnoreligious Identity Translating Religious Texts

Nature of Charges: Unknown

Adil Tuniyaz

Extra Bio Info:

Adil Tuniyaz is detained for translating religious texts and for his ethnoreligious identity. 

On or around December 25, 2017, authorities in Urumqi municipality, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), detained Tuniyaz, a writer and poet, and his wife Nezire Muhemmet Salih reportedly in relation to their translation of religious texts.  Authorities had accused them of “promoting terrorism and religious extremism." Tuniyaz's arrest came amid a campaign of arbitrary mass detentions of Uyghurs and other largely Muslim ethnic minority groups.

Tuniyaz is married with four children. His son Imran was also detained.

Related Cases: Nezire Muhemmet SalihImran Adil

Publicly Available Information:

Gender: Male

Current Location: Central Prison, Sukkur

Perpetrator: Pakistan

Religion or Belief: Hindu

Reports of Torture: No

Reports of Medical Neglect: No

Sentence: Life Imprisonment

Date of Detainment: September/15/2019

Date of Sentencing: February/7/2022

Date of Release: March//2024

Current Status: Released

Religious Leader: No

Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment

Reason for Persecution: Blasphemy (General) Blasphemy (Religious Figures)

Nature of Charges: Blasphemy

Notan Lal

Extra Bio Info:

Notan Lal was imprisoned for blasphemy.

On September 15, 2019, authorities arrested Lal, the owner and principal of a private school in Ghotki, after a student accused him of insulting the Prophet Muhammad during an Urdu lesson. Lal was charged with "insulting the Prophet Muhammad" (Sec. 295-C). The accusation against Lal prompted protests and riots in Ghotki, where a Hindu temple was vandalized and Lal's school was damaged.

On February 7, 2022, Lal was sentenced to life in prison and fined 50,000 rupees. 

In March 2024, the Sindh High Court set aside Lal's conviction and released him from prison.

Lal is married with four children.