Hong Kong police broke with protocol on body cameras at protests, rights group says
- Civil Rights Observer says four plain-clothes officers followed and filmed two protesters holding a British colonial-era flag at July 1 march, despite the pair posing no threat
A human rights group has accused Hong Kong police of breaking with protocol on the use of body-worn cameras during two protest marches in July and October.
Civil Rights Observer published its first report on Sunday after training volunteers to monitor interaction between officers and demonstrators.
The group sent 12 observers to the city’s annual July 1 march at which organisers this year estimated the crowd numbered 50,000.
Three volunteers also monitored the October 1 National Day march that drew about 1,500 protesters.
The observers said they saw police filming peaceful demonstrators on both occasions. However, a 2015 report by the Independent Police Complaints Council (IPCC) says recording should only be carried out for crime detection and for reviewing how events are policed.
