COMMENT | Recently, Malaysiakini reported Malaysians Against Death Penalty and Torture (Madpet) urging the government to promptly legislate a special law criminalising enforced disappearance.

What is enforced disappearance? According to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), an enforced disappearance entails any form of arrest, detention, abduction or any deprivation of liberty by agents of the state or by persons or groups of persons acting with the authorisation, support or acquiescence of the state.

Such a state action is invariably followed by a refusal to...