HK police to investigate 'beating'

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 15 Oktober 2014 | 18.19

15 October 2014 Last updated at 09:42
Police use batons in underpass

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People have been shocked by video apparently showing police brutality, reports Juliana Liu from Hong Kong

The Hong Kong police department is investigating reports that officers used excessive force against pro-democracy protesters.

Local TV showed images of officers beating a handcuffed protester on Wednesday in some of the worst clashes since the protests began.

Hong Kong's security chief said the officers had been "temporarily removed from their current duties".

The incident occurred as police cleared an underpass near government buildings.

The police advance came when protesters blockaded the underpass after being cleared out of other areas of the city on Tuesday.

Overnight police used pepper spray and batons to remove protesters from Lung Wo Road which they said earlier had to be cleared as it was a major thoroughfare. They also arrested 45 people for "unlawful assembly".

Local TV network TVB aired footage showing a group of plainclothes policeman dragging a handcuffed and unarmed protester and placing him on the ground.

They then assault him, kicking and beating him for minutes.

The man was named as Ken Tsang, a social worker and member of the opposition Civic Party. He was later taken to hospital.

Secretary for Security Lai Tung-kwok said there was "concern" over a video clip "showing police officers who used inappropriate force against an arrested person".

He said the officers seen on the video would be removed from their current duties and an investigation would be carried out.

Analysis: Juliana Liu, BBC News, Hong Kong

The footage shot by broadcaster TVB has been widely shared on social media.

Accusations of police using excessive force were made when authorities fired tear gas as the protests first erupted in late September. But this incident, which took place at around 03:00 on Wednesday (19:00 GMT Tuesday), was different. Ken Tsang had already been detained and no longer posed any threat to law enforcement.

Hong Kong's police force has for years prided itself on its professionalism, political neutrality and experience with crowd control. Now, citizens are asking, why did officers appear to behave with impunity toward a protester who had been subdued?

The protesters are now in their third week of occupying key parts of the city in a bid to put pressure on China and Hong Kong's authorities to answer their calls for political reform.

Thousands of people took to the streets at the beginning of the demonstrations but the numbers have dwindled in recent days.

They are demanding fully free elections in the next vote for the territory's leader. China, which has control over Hong Kong, says residents can vote - but it will vet which candidates are eligible to stand.

The clashes came on the third day of operations that police say are necessary to ease traffic disruption, but which they insist are not aimed at clearing the protesters.

Tsui Wai-Hung, a police spokesman, said none of the 37 men and eight women who were arrested had been hurt. Four police officers were said to have been injured.

Occupy Central and the Hong Kong Federation of Students, the two main groups behind the protests, have condemned the violence and asked authorities to investigate.

Joshua Wong, a prominent student leader, told AFP news agency that trust between police and the activists was at a low point.

"The proper action police should take is to bring the protester to the police car, not to take him away and then punch and kick him for four minutes," he said.

Yvonne Leung of the Hong Kong Federation of Students

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Student spokeswoman Yvonne Leung: "The police tactics will only prolong the protests"

On Wednesday, China's People's Daily, the Communist Party's official newspaper, said the protests were "doomed to fail" in a front-page editorial.

China most senior official in Hong Kong, Zhang Xiaoming, told lawmakers in the city that the protest movement "is a serious and political incident that has violated the 'one country' principle, challenged the central authority", and was "illegal activity that openly violates Hong Kong's current law".

He asked for an end to the protests.

Hong Kong democracy timeline
  • 1997: UK gives Hong Kong back to China under a 1984 agreement giving it "a high degree of autonomy" for 50 years
  • 2004: China says it must approve any changes to Hong Kong's election laws
  • June-July 2014: Pro-democracy activists hold an unofficial referendum on political reform; both sides hold large rallies
  • 31 August 2014: China says it will allow direct elections in 2017 but will pre-approve candidates
  • 22 September 2014: Student groups launch a week-long boycott of classes
  • 28 September 2014: Occupy Central and student protests join forces and take over central Hong Kong
  • 2017: Direct elections for chief executive due to take place

Q&A: Hong Kong's democracy controversy

Are you in Hong Kong? Have you been affected by recent events? You can share your experience by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

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