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Editorial | Independent inquiry into Hong Kong protests remains best way to move forward
- While the chief executive has still not made a convincing case to rule out a judicial inquiry into last year’s protests, the government and senior officers still need to show a sense of urgency, commitment and transparency in implementing the IPCC’s suggestions
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Why you can trust SCMP
The watchdog tasked with reviewing the police’s handling of last year’s clashes with protesters has made a general finding that police have no systemic problem and only used force in response to violence.
At the same time it drew attention to the fact it did not have power to investigate the conduct of individual officers. The question is whether the 999-page report is the end of the matter, or whether the findings amount to a good starting point for a truly independent body to take the whole investigation of the unrest further.
Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor made it clear in ruling out such an inquiry that she wants to move on, saying the government had to focus on the fallout of the pandemic crisis. But the report has prompted renewed calls from politicians, human rights activists and others for a new probe.
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This newspaper has consistently called for an independent inquiry. Most recently we said it should be pursued if the review by the watchdog, the Independent Police Complaints Council (IPCC), is inadequate or limited by its statutory powers. Given restrictions in gathering evidence and its own admission that it could not investigate individual officers, that may be the case.
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A panel of overseas experts assembled to advise the IPCC stood aside in December after their calls for more powers were not met. The Post sees no reason to change its stance. The chief executive herself had earlier not ruled out a judicial inquiry into police conduct. She has not made a convincing case for doing so now.
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