He was brought in as a witness but never came home.
On 15 July 2009, Beng Hock went to the Selangor headquarters of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission to give a statement. He was found dead the following day. Seventeen years later, no one has been charged.
TBH-ADA is a Malaysian human rights organisation campaigning for truth, accountability and institutional reform.
Formed from the movement for justice for Teoh Beng Hock, we now work on deaths in custody, torture prevention, human rights education and reform of public institutions.
What happened
He went in as a witness.
Beng Hock was taken to the MACC’s Selangor office at Plaza Masalam, Shah Alam, to give a statement in a corruption investigation. He was a witness, not a suspect. The questioning continued through the night.
He was found dead the next day.
His body was found on the fifth floor of Plaza Masalam, below the offices where he had been questioned. He had been due to register his marriage that morning.
The inquest returned an open verdict.
The coroner ruled that Beng Hock’s death was neither suicide nor homicide and recorded an open verdict, leaving the central question of responsibility unresolved.
The Royal Commission exposed abusive interrogation.
The Royal Commission of Inquiry found that MACC officers had subjected Beng Hock to aggressive, relentless and oppressive questioning. Its conclusions did not end the family’s pursuit of criminal accountability.
The Court of Appeal found that unlawful acts caused his death.
The Court of Appeal set aside the open verdict and held that Beng Hock’s death was caused or accelerated by unlawful acts by persons including MACC officers involved in his interrogation. No prosecution followed.
The reopened investigation ended without prosecution.
After the Prime Minister had committed to reopening the case, the Attorney-General’s Chambers directed that no further action be taken, citing insufficient evidence to prove an offence against any individual.
The central question remains unanswered.
Who was responsible for the unlawful acts that caused Beng Hock’s death, and why has no one been held criminally accountable?
His family is still waiting for the full truth and for accountability.
A family’s search for truth became a fight for institutional change.
Beng Hock’s death exposed a deeper problem: what happens when a person dies after contact with a powerful state institution, and the system fails to establish individual accountability?
TBH-ADA grew from the movement demanding justice for Beng Hock. Our work now includes advocacy on deaths in custody, torture prevention, accountability, institutional reform and human rights education.
Justice for Beng Hock remains unfinished. So does the work of changing the systems that allow abuse and impunity to continue.
About our work
Give the family the explanation they were promised.
Provide Beng Hock’s family with a formal and comprehensive briefing on the findings and latest status of the investigation initiated following the Prime Minister’s August 2024 commitment.
Account publicly for the investigation.
Explain what the authorities investigated, what conclusions they reached, and why the investigation did not result in criminal prosecution.
Ensure a genuine criminal investigation.
Open a fresh criminal investigation under the relevant provisions on murder, culpable homicide or other appropriate criminal offences, led by an independent team and properly addressing the Court of Appeal’s finding that unlawful acts caused Beng Hock’s death.
Latest news and updates
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[PS] Email campaign urges Anwar to honour two-year promise 两年期限届满 公民电邮行动促首相兑现承诺
Press release by the Teoh Beng Hock Association for Democratic Advancement4 August 2026 Email campaign urges Anwar to honour two-year promise The…
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![[PS]The 17th Anniversary Memorial for Teoh Beng Hock席赵明福逝世17周年追思会](https://staging.teohbenghock.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/WhatsApp-Image-2025-07-28-at-18.39.30-1-1.jpeg)
[PS]The 17th Anniversary Memorial for Teoh Beng Hock席赵明福逝世17周年追思会
Press Statement by the Teoh Beng Hock Association for Democratic Advancement & KLSCAH Youth in Kuala Lumpur on 7 July 2026 Public…
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[PS]From three MACC extensions to the NFCC Advisory Board: What makes Azam Baki so indispensable?三度延任后再入NFCC顾问团 阿占究竟有何不可取代?
Press Statement by the Teoh Beng Hock Association for Democratic Advancement, Issued in Kuala Lumpur on 3 July 2026 From three MACC…
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