Ex-judge Hishamudin to chair Suhakam inquiry into Joshua, Ruth Hilmy

Former Court of Appeal judge Mohd Hishamudin Yunus will chair the Human Rights Commission’s (Suhakam) public inquiry into the disappearances of Joshua Hilmy and Ruth Hilmy (née Sitepu).

Now a Suhakam commissioner, he will be aided by fellow commissioners Jerald Joseph and Madeline Berma.

“We have identified the tentative dates suitable for all three members of the panel.

“The panel will meet very soon for a preliminary discussion,” Hishamuddin told Malaysiakini.

Joseph is a veteran human rights activist, most known for his work with NGO Pusat Komas.

Formerly with Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Berma is an academic specialising in economic development, rural development and women.

Little is known about the disappearances of the Hilmy couple except that they were last seen on Nov 30, 2016, and reported missing on Mar 6, 2017.

Neither is much known about police investigations into the duo's disappearance.

According to Ruth’s family, which hails from Indonesia, she had come to Malaysia in 2000 to work as a seamstress when she met Joshua. The couple married in 2004.

Ruth is a Christian while Joshua is a Christian convert from Islam.

Her family has since publicly appealed to Indonesian President Joko Widodo to pressure Malaysian authorities to find her.

Joshua and Ruth Hilmy

Suhakam previously said that the inquiry will consider if they had been victims of an “enforced disappearance” and if authorities like the police had taken adequate steps to investigate the matter.

Enforced disappearances are defined by the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance (ICCPED) as the arrest, detention, abduction or any other form of deprivation of liberty by agents of the state or by persons, or groups of persons; acting with the authorisation, support or acquiescence of the state.

Last year, Suhakam conducted public inquiries into the disappearances of Christian pastor Raymond Koh and social activist Amri Che Mat.

The commission concluded that both were victims of enforced disappearance and pointed fingers at Bukit Aman’s Special Branch. - Mkini