Deported Indonesian domestic worker claims Hong Kong authorities made her strip in front of male doctor
- Yuli Riswati recalls ‘humiliating’ experience after spending 29 days in detention for overstaying her visa
- Citizen journalist’s supporters have accused the government of removing her because she wrote about civil unrest in the city
An Indonesian domestic helper and citizen journalist deported from Hong Kong for overstaying her visa said on Saturday she was forced to take off her clothes in front of a male doctor during her detention, as about 100 people joined a rally in Central to throw their support behind her.
Yuli Riswati, 39, was deported on December 2 following her arrest on September 23 for overstaying her visa which had expired on July 27. She was detained at Castle Peak Bay Immigration Centre (CIC) on November 4.
Speaking from Indonesia in a live call to the rally at Edinburgh Place, Yuli said her “humiliating” experience at the start of her 29 days in detention had left her feeling depressed.
“They told me to take off my clothes for medical examination. But I was horrified when I found out that the doctor was a man,” she said.
“In Islamic beliefs, a woman’s body should not be seen by a man outside their family. But they forced me to take off my clothes. I’m a Muslim woman. It was so humiliating to do that in front of a man.”
The crowd at the rally chanted “We support Yuli” as she talked, reducing Yuli to tears.