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 damages—RM10,000 per day from the date of the abduction until his whereabouts are revealed.