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The UN has demanded answers over the alleged police harassment, intimidation and the arrest of frontline medics during the #HongKong pro-democracy protests. Medical workers - the people we rely on to keep us alive in a crisis 1/ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/0/hong-kong-facing-questions-un-harassment-medics-pro-democracy/
The UN probe was instigated by Dr Darren Mann, a #HongKong-based British war surgeon out of concern that the Hong Kong police were purposefully targeting and preventing medical workers from their humanitarian work at the height of the city's civil unrest 2/
In a letter to the Chinese and Hong Kong govts, the UN raises allegations of medics with ID being accused of rioting, or “arrested and hand-cuffed with zip-cords either in the vicinity of violent confrontations or in the course of performing their legitimate healthcare duties.”3/
It includes claims of police denying the seriously injured access to medical care and it highlights the maiming of a female paramedic who was hit in the right eye by a pellet round allegedly shot by a police officer during a demonstration. 4/
It suggests intimidation reached deep inside the public healthcare system, with reports of suspected protesters who arrived at hospitals being given a special code for tracking and identification that was accessed by the police and used to carry out arrests. 5/
Dr Mann, whose colleagues were detained while providing aid during a fierce clash at @HongKongPolyU in November, said his aim in raising violations “relates entirely to the well-being, safety and protection of humanitarian medical workers,” not out of “retributive interest.” 6/
"These medical workers who are now being thanked [over the pandemic] with tributes by the #HongKong government are the same medical workers that they’ve – in the words of the UN – intimidated, harassed and unlawfully detained.” 7/
“You can’t choose what type of humanitarianism you want. You can’t say we want it during a pandemic but not when people are injured with police bullets or tear gas," said Dr Mann 8/ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/0/hong-kong-facing-questions-un-harassment-medics-pro-democracy/
Benedict Rogers @benedictrogers Chair of Hong Kong Watch, called for “a full independent inquiry into police brutality” and “targeted sanctions on those responsible for protest abuses.” 9/ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/0/hong-kong-facing-questions-un-harassment-medics-pro-democracy/
Asked about the UN letter, the #HongKong government said it had “provided response to the Central People’s Government for onward transmission to the United Nations.” 10/
The Chinese embassy in London said Beijing supported the HK government and its chief executive “in governing Hong Kong in accordance with law,the Hong Kong police in strictly enforcing law, and the Hong Kong judiciary in bringing violent criminals to justice according to law.”11/
In response to the UN inquiry over the alleged abuse of medics, China said: “Hong Kong is part of China and Hong Kong affairs are China's domestic affairs. We resolutely oppose any interference by foreign governments, organisations or individuals.” 12/ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/0/hong-kong-facing-questions-un-harassment-medics-pro-democracy/
