Where is Raymond Koh?

Christians are being asked to sign a petition calling for justice for Raymond Koh, a Malaysian pastor who has not been seen since he was kidnapped off the streets three years ago.

The Release International petition urges the Malaysian Prime Minister to bring the perpetrators to justice. 

Koh's car was surrounded by three dark SUVs on 13 February 2017 before he was bundled into one of the vehicles. The entire kidnapping was caught on security cameras. 

The pastor was part of the Evangelical Free Church and founder of Hope Community, a charity helping the poor in capital Kuala Lumpur.

He had experienced some persecution before his disappearance after being accused of attempting to convert Muslims.

On one occasion, a box of bullets was sent to him in the mail as a warning to stop his ministry work.  White powder, later revealed to be anthrax, was sent to his wife Susanna Liew. On another occasion, the authorities raided a fundraiser. 

Mrs Liew has vowed "relentless action" to free her husband.

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In 2019, Malaysia's own Human Rights Commission attributed the kidnapping of Pastor Koh to the country's Special Branch.

The petition to Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin reads: "One of your country's loyal citizens has been missing for three years. Pastor Raymond Koh was kidnapped off the streets on February 13, 2017, and has not been seen since. His wife and children have been left to wonder what happened to him and whether he is still alive.

"We, Pastor Raymond's fellow Christians from around the world, call on your government to release any and all information related to the forced disappearance... including any involvement of Special Branch." 

"More than three years have passed, yet there has been no word whether Pastor Koh is dead or alive," said Release CEO Paul Robinson.

"Malaysia must secure his release and account for his disappearance, which by any standards is a crime."

The Human Rights Commission is currently holding an inquiry into the disappearance of another pastor, Joshua Hilmy, and his wife Ruth who went missing in 2016.

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