Condemning police brutality in Hong Kong protests

LETTER | The Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih 2.0) and Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) strongly condemn police brutality during the peaceful protest against the extradition law amendments in Hong Kong.

According to reports and video documentation, the Hong Kong police used unnecessary and excessive force, including pepper spray, batons, fired teargas, water canon and rubber bullets on the peaceful protesters in their attempt to disperse them, causing many injuries to protesters and journalists.

The Hong Kong Basic Law and the Bill of Rights Ordinance guaranteed the right to peaceful assembly of the Hong Kong people. What the police did on June 12 is not only a gross violation of the Hong Kong Basic Law and the Bill of Rights Ordinance, it is an outright abuse of power.

During the rule of the previous government, many Malaysians faced similar brutal treatment by the police during Bersih rallies and other peaceful protests.

We stand in solidarity with the millions of Hong Kong people who fearlessly come out to express their objection to the extradition bill and defend their right to hold peaceful protests.

We call on the Hong Kong government to respect the right to peaceful assembly, and preserve Hong Kong's unique democratic space and freedom.

We further call on the Hong Kong government to initiate an independent investigation into police brutality and to hold them accountable for wrongdoings.

We strongly urge the Hong Kong government to listen to the people’s voice and withdraw the extradition law amendment.

The amended laws would allow the extradition of people accused of crimes to mainland China, where they would be at risk of torture, ill-treatment and unfair trials.

The Hong Kong government must uphold the rule of law and any extradition of criminal suspects must be subject to human rights scrutiny in accordance with international standards.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.