Following the recent surge in the violence in Hong Kong, the United Nations has called for an independent probe into the current situation in Chinese city. United Nations Human Rights chief, Michelle Bachelet said that the number of injuries is alarming.
Hong Kong has been gripped in violence since August 2019, after the crackdown on the protesters had led to the allegations of police brutality. On Friday, in defiance to the ban on face masks imposed by the city’s Chief Executive Carrie Lam, hundreds had gathered in the streets which saw petrol bombs being thrown at the police and damage done to the transport infrastructure.
According to a report by Reuters, the UN Human Rights chief has been concerned about the growing violence in the city which has injured scores of people including security officials, journalists as well as the protesters. She further urged the government to establish an independent inquiry into the violence as well as the shooting of a protester which has led him to be hospitalised.
The Hong Kong authorities had used a colonial-era power to impose the ban on face masks which was used by protesters in order to protect their identities. The police have been arrested hundreds of people who it believes were a part of the protest. The government has deemed the protests as ‘riots’.
In response to the ban, the UN Human Rights chief has said that the use of face masks by protesters should not incite further violence but also issued a stern warning to Hong Kong about the use of the emergency rule to curb the freedom of peaceful assembly and targetted prosecution of special groups which it thinks are involved in the protests.
(Inputs from agencies)