Malaysia (MNN) — A ruling on July 29 by Malaysia’s Court of Appeal means a further delay of justice for the family of Raymond Koh, a pastor missing since 2017.

Koh’s wife, Susannah Liew, sued the Malaysian government and police in 2020 concerning his abduction. After years of legal battle, Liew received a breakthrough ruling in November 2025. 

“The recent ruling was that the government and police were liable for Pastor Koh’s enforced disappearance, and they were ordered to reopen the investigation,” says Floyd Brobbel with Voice of the Martyrs Canada. 

The Kuala Lumpur High Court also ordered the government to pay Koh’s family a large sum of money in damages. At the time of the ruling, it was 31.8 million Malaysian ringgit, the equivalent of around $7.78 million USD. 

However, the government appealed the November ruling. In January 2026, a judge granted a stay order, postponing any payment to the Koh family or renewed investigations about Koh’s fate until the appeal is resolved.

Liew appealed for the stay to be lifted. But last month on July 29, a three-judge panel dismissed their application, leaving the postponement in place until the government’s appeal can be resolved. That means months of waiting ahead. According to a report from Free Malaysia Today, the government’s original appeal against the November 2025 ruling will be heard on November 30.

Liew has written a letter to Malaysia’s prime minister, asking for his intervention in the long-delayed case. She said that every passing day makes the evidence surrounding Koh’s disappearance more vulnerable. 

“She’s been, I think, strongly encouraged by global support, especially global support within the body of Christ,” says Brobbel. “But I think this is an area that certainly advocacy groups could take a stand on and and possibly get other governments involved.” 

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom reports that before Koh disappeared in 2017, the NGO he led was investigated by local Islamic leaders. Some had alleged it was being leveraged to convert Muslims to Christianity.

“The question is not about whether Christianity is legal in Malaysia. It’s whether their constitutional rights or guarantees for religious freedom are applied equally across the board. We’ve seen that that’s not necessarily the case,” says Brobbel. 

“The case with Raymond Koh is that maybe he was trying to be made an example of [by the government] to control or limit the activity of the Church. But that doesn’t seem to be happening, so that’s the good news in it.” 

Please pray that God will work justice swiftly through Malaysia’s political and legal system. He is sovereign over the decisions of all leaders and authorities. Pray for continued strength for the Koh family in this long process. 

Header image is a representative stock photo courtesy of Donald Tong via Pexels.