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At least five British police officers working in Hong Kong’s force could be subject to torture charges for police brutality against pro-democracy activists.
A group of activists has raised £200,000 using a JustGiving page. The money is to help employ a legal team to bring the officers who engaged in police brutality into prosecution.
The police brutality offences occurred in June 2019 during Hong Kong’s Citic Tower protests, according to the South China Morning Post.
The police officers were allegedly involved in abusing pro-democracy activists during the Hong Kong protests.
The allegations include the police officers directly committing police brutality against the protesters or advising other officers to execute the offences, the Daily Mail reported.
One specific occurrence was noted at Citic Tower during the June 2019 Hong Kong protests, but other incidents are claimed to have happened in police stations and on the streets.
The team of activists has asked witnesses to come forth and explain seeing or experiencing police brutality.
According to activist Luke de Pulford, some witnesses have come forward to tell their stories, but many are too afraid to provide testimony, according to the Daily Mail. He also claims protesters enduring police brutality offences suffered physical, psychological and sexual abuse.
In gathering evidence for the case, the activists have examined thousands of hours of footage from the Hong Kong protests. One video from 12 June shows police officers discharging tear gas and rubber bullets at the protesters gathered at the Hong Kong protests, The Guardian reported.
British national police officers hold three out of six spots in the Hong Kong regional commander posts.
In the 1990s, while Hong Kong was controlled by Britain, British police officers worked in the city.
According to estimates by de Pulford, approximately 5% of the Hong Kong police force is made up of senior British officers, according to The Guardian.
Under British Law, police brutality is an offence that has universal jurisdiction, so the police officers can be prosecuted in U.K. courts for their alleged actions during the Hong Kong protest.
The police brutality case is being launched by pro-democracy crusaders de Pulford and Nathan Law of Hong Kong Watch.
The activist group against the alleged police brutality issued a statement saying officers nearly all the major protests have beaten activists, including stomping on protestors’ heads and kneeling on their necks while detained in custody, according to The Guardian. These abuses violate human rights laws, the group says.
In Hong Kong, there are no rules in place to combat police brutality against the officers.
The police do not have to be held accountable under Hong Kong’s laws; therefore, the campaigners aim to have the officers charged in the U.K.
“We want to send a signal against impunity,” de Pulford told The Guardian. “Right now there is no possibility in Hong Kong for any kind of justice. One police officer on a moped ran into a group of protesters. He was suspended for a week.”
“If the UK’s moral and legal commitment to upholding the rights of Hong Kong people cannot extend to making its own citizens answer for their crimes, it is no commitment at all,” de Pulford continued.
If the case’s launch is successful and the campaigners receive all the evidence they need, the alleged British officers might have to return to London to attend court.
Do you think the police officers will be prosecuted for the alleged brutality? Let us know in the comments.
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