Outrage at two-year prison terms for Hong Kong policemen who beat up political activist
Police commissioner acknowledges frustration among the ranks while supporters plan protest
Hong Kong’s police force was gripped by emotions ranging from dismay to open outrage as a court on Friday jailed seven officers for two years for beating up an activist who had assaulted their colleagues during an Occupy protest more than two years ago.
In a public show of support for his men, Police Commissioner Stephen Lo Wai-chung faced the media to announce that he had approved a campaign by staff unions to raise money for the jailed officers while they discussed the possibility of an appeal.
“I have a heavy heart and mixed feelings,” he said. “ I can totally understand why my colleagues are disappointed and frustrated.”
The man they were filmed kicking and punching 28 months ago, social worker Ken Tsang Kin-chiu, hailed their punishment as “a minor victory for civil society against police violence”. Tsang is currently appealing his own five-week prison sentence for assault.
District Court judge David Dufton said in passing sentence that there was “no justification” for the “vicious assault” on a “defenceless” Tsang outside a substation in Admiralty on October 15, 2014.
“The defendants have not only brought dishonour to the Hong Kong Police Force they have also damaged Hong Kong’s reputation in the international community, the assault having been widely viewed around the world and reported as front-page news in a number of countries,” he said.
