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Civic Party's Ken Tsang Kin-chiu (left, who got beaten by seven police officers in Tamar Park in 2014) and Osman Cheng Chung-hang (who got beaten by a police officer in 2014 in Mong Kok) at a press conference in Legco Complex on April 15. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Arrested Hong Kong police have same rights as lawmakers, says police commissioner

Arrested police officers have the same civil rights as arrested lawmakers to choose not to cooperate with investigations, said outgoing Police Commissioner Andy Tsang Wai-hung.

Samuel Chan

Arrested police officers have the same civil rights as arrested lawmakers to choose not to cooperate with investigations, said outgoing Police Commissioner Andy Tsang Wai-hung.

"An arrested person, no matter [whether] the person is a lawmaker or a police officer, is entitled to the same legal protection, which means the suspect still has the right to not cooperate or remain silent," Tsang said yesterday at an Eastern District council meeting.

"If lawmakers have such rights, why not police officers who are arrested?"

Tsang made the remarks in response to a councillor's question about activist Ken Tsang Kin-chiu's allegation that some of the seven police officers filmed allegedly beating him in a back alley during Occupy protests refused to stand in an informal identity parade in January.

The activist's lawyer also said that two of the seven officers "refused to open their eyes ... and refused to stand up" in a "direct confrontation" with Tsang.

A police source said the activist only went to the ID parade concerning the allegation that he had been beaten inside the police station. He did not attend ID parades arranged for two other claims including an alleged beating he suffered that was caught on video.

As of yesterday afternoon, the Department of Justice had yet to make a decision on whether to press any charges.

Asked if police were making excessive arrests during Occupy protests after a number of suspects were acquitted in courts and the credibility of officers challenged, the police chief said the media might not report all cases in which the suspects were found guilty.

On police deployment for top officials' public events to promote the 2017 electoral package, Tsang said police would make "appropriate" deployment based on risk assessment.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Arrested officers have same rights, says Tsang
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