Hong Kong protests: lawmakers and leaders from 18 countries urge Carrie Lam to set up independent panel to probe police conduct
- Some 38 people – including lawmakers, former bureaucrats, social leaders and politicians from Australia, Britain, Canada, Ireland, Lithuania and the US – write open letter to Lam
- They say they will be prompted to call for an international-level probe into role of Hong Kong police if Lam fails to set up an independent panel, but the government refutes their claims as unfounded
Lawmakers and civic leaders from 18 countries have urged Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor to set up an independent probe into police’s use of force in the ongoing protests, warning they would otherwise call for an inquiry at the international level.
Among 38 people who penned an open letter to the city leader were John Bercow, former speaker of the British House of Commons, Malcolm Rifkind, former British foreign secretary, Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, president of the Federation of Asian Bishops Conferences, Alissa Wahid, daughter of late Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid, and politicians from Australia, Canada, Ireland, Lithuania, and the United States.
Police have accused radical protesters of vandalising shops in malls across the city, where officers arrested more than 200 people for disturbances in various districts last week, driving the total arrest figure to 6,494 over seven months of political unrest.
“We appeal to you to use your authority and exercise your responsibility to seek genuine ways forward out of this crisis by addressing the grievances of Hong Kong people, bringing the Hong Kong Police Force under control, ensuring accountability and an end to impunity for serious violations of human rights, and beginning a process of democratic political reform,” the letter read.