Seven Hong Kong police officers have been arrested for assault
over an alleged case of police brutality at pro-democracy protests last month
which shocked residents of the Chinese territory.
Footage
of the alleged assault, taken by a TV crew at the city's main
protest site in Admiralty on October 15, was widely disseminated online,
sparking an outcry from the public, politicians and rights groups.
It
appeared to show officers leading the man
to a dark corner, where he was laid on the ground and repeatedly kicked and
punched while others stood around, keeping watch.
The
alleged victim was identified as Ken Tsang, a member of the Civic Party
political group. He is also a social worker and a member of the 1,200 member
election committee that chooses Hong Kong's leader. Photos were subsequently
released by the Civic Party showing Tsang with a bruised face and welts on his
back. Continue..
In a statement Wednesday
announcing the arrests, police addressed criticism they had taken too long to
act, saying they had not delayed the handling of the case. The statement said
Tsang had failed to show up to an identification parade Wednesday.
Police
hold Mong Kok
The
announcement came as police and protesters again faced off in the Mong Kok
district Wednesday evening, hours after authorities cleared barricades and
tents from a demonstration camp and arrested prominent pro-democracy activists.
The
clearances, which began Tuesday, were carried out in accordance with court
injunctions obtained by local business interests, following complaints that the
protests have disrupted commercial life in the city.
In a
major operation Wednesday morning, police and bailiffs had worked to reopen a
major road which had been occupied to varying extents since pro-democracy
protests erupted nearly two months ago.
But as
day turned into evening -- and many Hong Kong residents left work -- the
bustling commercial district once again filled with thousands of people, some
of them protesters and others curious onlookers.
Some
activists yelled: "We want to take back the streets!" as they faced
off with police and sought to stir up the crowds.
As the
atmosphere heated up, Hong Kong Chief Executive C.Y. Leung called on
demonstrators not to reoccupy protest sites, according to public broadcaster
Radio Television Hong Kong.
Police
said 159 people had been arrested for various offenses at the Mong Kok protest
site since Tuesday, when authorities began their push to clear the Mong Kok
site.
Charges
have included resisting police, illegal assembly, possession of weapons and
attacking police, according to Alice Tam of the Police Public Relations Branch.
Civil
disobedience
Joshua
Wong, the 18-year-old founder of the student activist group Scholarism, was
among a number of protest leaders arrested Wednesday as the demonstration camp
was cleared.
He was
scheduled to appear in Kowloon City Court Thursday morning, according to Scholarism's
social media accounts.
Also detained were student
leaders Lester Shum and Jason Szeto, according to Hong Kong Federation of
Students spokeswoman Yvonne Leung.
READ: Who is Joshua Wong?
Prior to
his arrest, Shum, the deputy secretary general of the student federation, told
CNN he urged protesters to remain on the streets until they were arrested.
"We
will still conduct our civil disobedience action until the last second,"
he said.
Lawmaker
and pro-democracy activist Leung Kwok-hung, commonly known as "Long
Hair," was among those arrested during confrontations in Mong Kok a day
earlier, his office confirmed.
In the
wake of the Mong Kok clearance, the Hong Kong Federation of Students said it
may target government buildings to build pressure against the government.
"I
think we have made it very clear that if they [the police] continue the violent
way of clearing up the place, we will have further actions," Leung told
RTHK.
"The
further actions include a possibility of some escalations pointed at
government-related buildings or some of the government-related
departments."
Universal
suffrage
Pro-democracy
protesters have occupied camps in parts of the city for nearly two months,
including a main protest site outside government buildings in Admiralty on Hong
Kong Island.
Seeking
universal suffrage, they want to be able to nominate candidates for the
election of the city's chief executive in 2017. Instead, China's National
People's Congress has said they'll be able to vote only for candidates from a
shortlist approved by a pro-Beijing committee.
Currently,
the chief executive is elected by a specially appointed 1,200-member election
committee.
At the
peak of the protests in early October, tens of thousands of people were on the
streets at three locations. But numbers have dwindled as the protests have
continued, and recent local polling suggests support has dipped.
In a
random survey of 513 people conducted by the University of Hong Kong, 83% said
pro-democracy protesters should cease their occupation of major roads in Hong
Kong, while just 13% said the protests should continue.
Since the
pro-democracy protests began on September 28, 421 people have been injured,
including 79 women, the Hong Kong Information Services Department said.
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