Amri's friend told SB officer to speak the truth, court hears

The long-time friend of enforced disappearance victim Amri Che Mat testified that he reminded a Special Branch (SB) officer to tell the truth as enjoined by the Prophet Muhammad.

Perlis Hope co-founder Mohammad Faisol Abd Rahman told the Kuala Lumpur High Court this afternoon about the WhatsApp message he sent to Perlis SB officer Mohd Shamzaini Mohd Daud.

“It was a hadith from the Prophet on telling the truth no matter what, that was all I sent,” Faisol told judicial commissioner Su Tiang Joo during the hearing of the missing activist family’s lawsuit against the police and federal government over the enforced disappearance.

During a Suhakam inquiry into Amri’s (above) disappearance on the midnight of Nov 24, 2017, his wife Norhayati Mohd Ariffin claimed Shamzaini visited her and allegedly told her that the police were behind the disappearance of the Perlis Hope founder.

However, during the same inquiry in 2018, Shamzaini claimed he was willing to swear upon the Quran denying that he told Norhayati that the police were responsible for the disappearance.

During today’s civil court hearing, Faisol testified that he heard from shop operator Saiful Afdzan that Amri was confronted by a group of people in four-wheel drive vehicles and motorcycles on the night of the incident between Kangar and Padang Pesar.

Faisol claimed that he tracked down Saiful sometime in 2018, following his being informed by Norhayati over Shamzaini’s alleged confession to her.

Faisol explained that he heard from Saiful that the latter was closing his shop on the night of the incident when he saw the vehicles surrounding Amri’s car, and a group of mysterious individuals suddenly dragging the activist out of his car.

“On the night that he (Saiful) was closing shop, he saw pickups (four-wheel drives) and motorcycles surround Amri’s car, and they (groups of people linked to the vehicles) pull Amri out.

“He tried to follow them, but then he saw someone (from the kidnappers) brandishing a pistol, and he straight away ran inside (the shop),” Saifol testified.

However, Faisol conceded that he could not track down Saiful anymore after that, with the latter allegedly having closed down his shop and moved away since.

The trial before Su will resume on March 20.

Enforced disappearances

The court also set March 11 for case management on the government and police’s legal representatives from the Attorney-General’s Chambers on allowing Norhayati limited access to the Official Secrets Act 1972 classified special task force report on Amri‘s disappearance.

On April 3, 2019, Suhakam’s public inquiry concluded that Amri and pastor Raymond Koh, who vanished in 2016 and 2017 respectively, were victims of enforced disappearance.

The three-member panel unanimously concluded that the perpetrators were members of the Special Branch from police headquarters Bukit Aman in Kuala Lumpur.

Koh’s family also has an ongoing civil court action against the police and government over the pastor’s enforced disappearance.

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