Female protester accuses Hong Kong Police officer of sexual assault
Jun 24, 2020
Hong Kong, June 24 : A minor student has alleged that a Hong Kong police officer had sexual assaulted her during a protest last September. The pro-China Hong Kong Police is infamous for its high-handedness on protesters.
The 17-year-old student, known as "Student K", was quoted by the Hong Kong Free Press as saying that she was arrested on September 25 last year at Sha Tin MTR station under the suspicion of unlawful assembly and assaulting a police officer.
She said that a female officer had squeezed her breasts several times and used derogatory language to "harass" her.
She also alleged that her requests to use the bathroom were repeatedly denied for more than an hour by the police officer. "Human rights are based on your freedom. You are an arrested person so you do not enjoy that freedom," she quoted the police officer.
On the accusation that a female officer had placed her head close to the student's chest and crotch during a strip search, Hong Kong Social Workers' General Union council member Jackie Chen said, "We, social workers, have not seen this extent of body searching even in cases to do with drug trafficking... Why would the police force search an underage girl in this way?"
During the year-long pro-democracy demonstrations, the Hong Kong police has been seen using their power to silence the protesters.
In a report published by the Amnesty International in January, it said, "Allegations of the sexual harassment and assault of protesters have been circulating since Hong Kong's current protest movement began. There have been reports of assault in police stations, footage of police exposing women's underwear during arrest and allegations of humiliating and unnecessary strip searches."
"The few women who have spoken out about the issue have faced a massive backlash. Some have had their personal details leaked online; others have been targeted with fake sex tapes or received harassing phone calls. Although much of this abuse comes from anonymous trolls, the Hong Kong authorities have created a climate where such abuse thrives by smearing protesters and failing to establish an independent investigation into police misconduct," it said.
