Teoh Beng Hock’s sister to address UN Human Rights Council on Tuesday

2026-03-15 - 03:23

Teoh Lee Lan and Koong Hui Yein at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport before departing for Geneva, Switzerland, today. (Teoh Beng Hock Association for Democratic Advancement pic) PETALING JAYA: The sister of the late Teoh Beng Hock is expected to attend the 61st session of the United Nations Human Rights Council and address the assembly on Tuesday. In a statement, Teoh Beng Hock Association for Democratic Advancement (TBH-ADA) chairperson Koong Hui Yein said Teoh Lee Lan departed today for Geneva, Switzerland. “Lee Lan is scheduled to address the assembly on March 17. “She will explain to the representatives of the 47 member states and other participating nations that the Teoh family is dissatisfied with the unjust investigation that culminated to a ‘no further action’ conclusion. “It is a clear demonstration that the Malaysian government has denied the family their right to remedy,” said Koong, who is accompanying Lee Lan on the trip. She said Lee Lan will highlight to the international community the 17-year struggle for justice in Beng Hock’s death and call upon the UN to activate human rights mechanisms. She said the mission aims to use international mechanisms to pressure Malaysia, as a UN member state, to fulfill its human rights obligations and initiate rigorous, professional criminal investigations and prosecutions against the suspects involved. “The Teoh family’s journey to Geneva is not only for Beng Hock but also for the institutional reforms necessary to prevent future custodial deaths and ensure such a tragedy is never repeated,” she added. Lee Lan and the association’s team is also expected to hold a live broadcast from Geneva on March 16. Lee Lan’s planned trip to Geneva has been reported since last year, as the association has been actively engaging international and human rights groups after submitting a formal complaint on Beng Hock’s death to the UN in July 2025. Teoh, an aide to then Selangor executive councillor Ean Yong Hian Wah, was found dead in July 2009 on the fifth floor of Plaza Masalam in Shah Alam, hours after he had arrived for questioning at the Selangor Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) office. An inquest initially returned an open verdict. However, in 2014, the Court of Appeal ruled that his death was caused by “one or more unknown persons”, including MACC officers. Two special investigation teams were set up in 2011 and 2015 to probe Teoh’s death, but both were also classified as NFA by the public prosecutor. In 2019, police launched an investigation under Section 342 of the Penal Code for wrongful confinement and a reinvestigation was ordered by the Kuala Lumpur High Court in November 2024, directing the police to re-examine all aspects of the case.