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HONG KONG: Amnesty Int’l condemns ‘reckless unlawful’ attacks on protesters by police

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HONG KONG: Riot police fire tear gas, baton-charge many in renewed clashes with protesters

The violent handling of protesters in Hong Kong by local police has been condemned by Amnesty International which described the abuse of demonstrators as “reckless and unlawful”.

The rights group says the arbitrary arrests, violence in custody by police during the three-month long pro-democracy protests, amounts to torture.

“The evidence leaves little room for doubt – in an apparent thirst for retaliation, Hong Kong’s security forces have engaged in a disturbing pattern of reckless and unlawful tactics against people during the protests,” Nicholas Bequelin, East Asia director at Amnesty International, said.

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“This has included arbitrary arrests and retaliatory violence against arrested persons in custody, some of which has amounted to torture

However, Hong Kong police have denied the claims by Amnesty International stating that they have shown restraint in the face of increased violence.

Responding to the Amnesty report, police said they have respected the “privacy, dignity and rights” of those in custody according to regulations, allowing detainees transport to hospitals and communication with lawyers and their families.

“The force to be used by police shall be the minimum force necessary for achieving a lawful purpose,” police said in a statement.

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