Hong Kong, Sep 20: A new Amnesty International investigation has presented a document condemning Hong Kong police for using “reckless and unlawful” against anti-government protesters throughout the three-month of mass protests against a controversial extradition bill.
The body has documented shreds of evidence of brutality pursued by the Hong Kong police to tackle demonstrations, including indiscriminative tactics used while arresting dissenters and evidence of “torture” and other ill-treatment in detention, according to Al-Jazeera news reports.
Amnesty International interviewed 21 detained protesters and summoned corroborating testimonies and evidence from health workers, lawyers, and others. It gathered exclusive pieces of information of severe torture and beating tactics used by police.
Nicholas Bequelin, East Asia Director at Amnesty International, said: “The Hong Kong police’s heavy-handed crowd-control response on the streets has been live-streamed for the world to see. Much less visible is the plethora of police abuses against protesters that take place out of sight.
“Time and again, police officers meted out violence prior to and during arrests, even when the individual had been restrained or detained. The use of force was therefore clearly excessive, violating international human rights law,” he added.
Hong Kong: Brutal beatings and torture in police detention – new @Amnesty evidence
“Time and again, police officers meted out violence prior to and during arrests” – @Bequelin
#HongKong #HongKongProtests https://t.co/fYzoGqRwHG— News From Amnesty (@NewsFromAmnesty) September 19, 2019
The pro-democratic protesters have taken to the streets since June against extradition bill that would allow suspects in the city to be sent to mainland China for court prosecution, throwing petrol bombs at central government and police offices, storming legislative council, blocking roads and international airport.
Police have responded to such with water cannons, rubber bullets, tear gas, bean bag rounds and live rounds fired openly.
“The evidence leaves little room for doubt – in an apparent thirst for retaliation, Hong Kong’s security forces have engaged in a disturbing pattern of reckless and unlawful tactics against people during the protests,” said Bequelin.
“This has included arbitrary arrests and retaliatory violence against arrested persons in custody, some of which has amounted to torture.”
Reacting to the Amnesty documentation, police have said they did respect the “privacy, dignity and rights” of those under custody as per the regulations, permitting detainees to communicate with lawyers and their respective families.
“The force to be used by police shall be the minimum force necessary for achieving a lawful purpose,” police said in an emailed statement.