Hong Kong watchdog says claims of police brutality shouldn't be used as 'political weapon'
16 May, 2020
Accusations of police brutality must not be used as "a weapon of political protest," Hong Kong's police watchdog said in a written report on Friday (May 15), adding that the town appeared to be getting dragged into an "era of terrorism".
The Independent Police Complaints Council (IPCC) said its report didn't tackle the individual accountability of officers, but recommended an assessment of guidelines for the application of tear gas and training for officers in public areas order policing.
The IPCC studied officers' behaviour in the months after June 2019, an interval where the Asian financial hub was roiled by a number of the biggest & most violent demonstrations in decades.
"It cannot be over-emphasised that allegations of police brutality should not be made a weapon of political protest," the report said.
"That is a legal and not a political matter."
In comments using one of the very most controversial events through the protests this past year, the IPCC said it did not find proof police collusion with gang members throughout a mob attack on July 21 in Yuen Long district.
The report, however, did identify zero police deployment and other actions through the incident, where an armed mob of white-shirted men beat up black-shirted anti-government protesters and ordinary people.
The Yuen Long attack fuelled more protests and intensified a backlash against police, whom some accused of a delayed response to the mob violence.
Rights groups including Amnesty International have accused police of a disproportionate utilization of force and other abuses in handling the pro-democracy demonstrations.
Police have repeatedly said these were reactive and exercised restraint when confronted with high degrees of violence.
Protesters use a catapult against police throughout a protest at Hong Kong's City University, Nov 12, 2019. (Photo: AFP/Philip Fong)
The protests started as a campaign against a now-shelved extradition Bill that would have allowed criminal suspects to be delivered to mainland China for trial, but evolved into broader calls for greater democracy and an unbiased inquiry into police action, separate from the IPCC's.
Members of the IPCC, which is tasked with reviewing the work of the Complaints Against Police Office, an interior police department, are appointed by the city's leader, Carrie Lam.
In some of the very most intense clashes during the months of unrest, protesters, many clad in black and wearing masks, threw petrol bombs at police and central government offices, stormed the Legislative Council, trashed metro stations and blocked roads.
Police responded with tear gas, water cannons, rubber bullets and several live rounds fired in the air, oftentimes warning the crowds beforehand with some different coloured signal banners.
The credibility of the investigation was dealt a blow in December this past year when a panel of five foreign authorities quit from advisory roles to the watchdog as a result of doubts about its "independent investigative capability".
Many protesters are furious in what they saw as police brutality and the actual fact that a lot more than 8,000 persons were arrested.
An unbiased inquiry into police handling of the unrest is probably the protesters' five demands.
But embattled Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam has insisted that the IPCC is with the capacity of conducting an unbiased investigation and has rejected calls for an independent inquiry.
Lam later said on Friday that her government would accept the advice made by the authorities watchdog.
The outbreak of COVID-19 and strict rules to curb its spread brought a lull in anti-government protests this season, however the movement is gearing up again as the city's efforts to curb the spread of the condition seem to be working.
Police handling of protests came under fresh scrutiny at the weekend when officers pepper-sprayed journalists and made some kneel in a cordoned-off area. In a rare move, the authorities chief said on Tuesday his officers must have acted more professionally in dealing with the media.
Source:
TAG(s):