Launch of an Online Petition to Demand Justice for Teoh Beng Hock – End Impunity and Ensure Accountability Within Law Enforcement Agencies
[Joint press statement by Amnesty International Malaysia and Teoh Beng Hock Association for Democratic Advancement on 26 June 2025 in Kuala Lumpur]
Amnesty International Malaysia and the Teoh Beng Hock Association for Democratic Advancement jointly launched an online petition titled “Demand Justice for Teoh Beng Hock – End Impunity and Ensure Accountability Within Law Enforcement Agencies” today, in conjunction with United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture on 26 June.
In a resolution passed by the UN General Assembly on 12 December 1997, the UN proclaimed the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, aimed at the total eradication of torture and the implementation of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.
Twelve years after the landmark proclamation, Teoh Beng Hock, a 30-year-old political aide, was found dead under suspicious circumstances on the fifth-floor rooftop of Plaza Masalam, beneath the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Selangor office, where he had been interrogated overnight as a witness in an investigation into alleged misuse of state funds. He was subjected to prolonged, late-night questioning without rest—an oppressive and unlawful practice. His death sparked national and international outrage, raising serious concerns about abuse of power, custodial violence, and the lack of accountability within law enforcement agencies.
After a long judicial process and a Royal Commission of Inquiry, the case/the probe culminated in the Court of Appeal decision in 2014. The verdict legally acknowledged that Teoh Beng Hock’s death was not self-inflicted, but the result of unlawful actions, including by MACC officers. While the Court did not list formal recommendations, its ruling demanded a proper criminal investigation, individual accountability, interrogation reform, and systemic oversight — none of which were adequately acted upon.
Two new investigations took place in 2014 and 2018 following the Court of Appeal’s order. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim met the Teoh family in August 2024, promising that the investigation would be fair, referring to the to the Court of Appeal decision. In May 2025, the Attorney‑General’s Chambers (AGC) classified the reinvestigation into Teoh Beng Hock’s death as “No Further Action (NFA), concluding there was insufficient evidence to charge any individual under the law.
Over this 11-year span, despite multiple efforts by civil society and Teoh Beng Hock’s family to call for the proper investigation of the case and a court finding of criminal wrongdoing, no one was held accountable, and the MACC officers implicated were never charged. More than a decade later, justice remains elusive for Teoh Beng Hock and his family.
We call on the public to sign the petition and urge the Malaysian authorities to take immediate, transparent and meaningful action to ensure justice for Teoh Beng Hock.
Justice delayed is justice denied. Stand in solidarity with Teoh Beng Hock’s family and all victims of custodial abuse.
Everyone is encouraged to take action at the link below and share it widely: https://www.amnesty.my/2025/06/21/justiceforteohbenghock/
Vilasini Vijandran
Interim Executive Director
Amnesty International Malaysia
Ng Yap Hwa
Chairperson
Teoh Beng Hock Association for Democratic Advancement (TBH-ADA)
推介网上签名运动：为赵明福伸张正义——终结有罪不罚，确保执法机构问责
[国际特赦组织马来西亚分会与赵明福民主促进会联合文告， 2025年6月26日于吉隆坡发出]
为响应6月26日“联合国支持酷刑受害者国际日”，国际特赦组织马来西亚分会与赵明福民主促进会今日联合发起一项题为“为赵明福伸张正义——终结有罪不罚，确保执法机构问责”的网上签名运动。
1997年12月12日，联合国大会通过决议，正式将6月26日定为“支持酷刑受害者国际日”，旨在全面消除酷刑，并推动落实《禁止酷刑和其他残忍、不人道或有辱人格的待遇或处罚公约》。
在这一具有里程碑意义的决议12年后，年仅30岁的政治助理赵明福在2009年于雪州反贪会办公楼——马莎南大楼的五楼天台被发现死亡，死因疑点重重。他在案发前一晚被反贪会长时间审讯及无法休息，面对极度压迫与违法盘问手法。此案引发全国及国际社会的强烈愤怒，对执法机构滥权、羁押暴力及缺乏问责的现象提出严重质疑。
经过长期的司法程序及皇委会的调查，案件最终于2014年在上诉法院作出裁决。法院判定赵明福的死并非自杀，而是源于包括反贪会官员在内的不法行为。尽管法院未提出具体建议，但裁决明确要求展开刑事调查、追究个人责任、改革审讯制度，并建立系统性监督机制——然而这些要求至今未有切实执行。
根据上诉法院命令，案件在2014年和2018年展开两次新调查。2024年8月，首相安华依布拉欣与赵明福家属会面，并承诺调查将公平进行，并根据上诉法院的裁决调查。惟在2025年5月，马来西亚总检察署将案件重新调查的结果定为“不再采取行动”（No Further Action），理由是证据不足，无法起诉任何个人。
在长达11年的时间里，尽管赵明福家属及公民社会多次努力，呼吁对案件进行彻查并追究刑责，至今仍无人被问责，涉案反贪会官员也从未被起诉。十多年过去了，正义依旧遥不可及，赵明福家人仍在苦苦等待公道。
我们呼吁公众参与网上签名运动，呼吁马来西亚当局立即采取透明、有力的行动，确保赵明福获得应有的正义。
正义若迟到，即是拒绝正义。
请与赵明福家属及所有羁押暴力受害者站在一起，团结一致，争取正义。
欢迎通过以下链接采取行动，并广泛转发： https://www.amnesty.my/2025/06/21/justiceforteohbenghock/
国际特赦组织马来西亚分会代执行董事
维拉希妮·维贾德兰（Vilasini Vijandran）
赵明福民主促进会主席
黄业华