Request International Court of Justice to Investigate Excessive Force of Hong Kong Police

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URGENT! 

Hong Kong need help!
Please sign and support! 

We are writing to request the International Court of Justice(ICJ) to formally Investigate Hong Kong Police for Excessive Use of Force against Citizens in June & July, 2019

Dear Sir/Madam,

     We are writing to request the ICJ to formally investigate police brutality against citizens of Hong Kong in the recent protests.

     Hundreds of thousands of people in Hong Kong took to the street in recent days to protest amid the controversial Extradition Bill. In the latest rounds of the protest, the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) has been using excessive level of violence and firearms against citizens who participated in peaceful protests. Confirmed crowd control weapons and ammunition in use including 
batons, pepper spray, rubber bullets, water cannon, tear gas and more recently “sponge grenades”. The sole purpose of this level of extreme violence “intent to injure”. It is believed to be a direct and flagrant violation the “UN Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials.”  Many unarmed protesters have been reportedly beaten or shot, some directly in their heads.

     Since 12 June, we believe that Hong Kong Police Force had committed the following crimes:

     1. Crime of aggression

     2. Conventional War Crimes

     3. Crimes against Humanities

     During these operations, the HKPF did not wear any ID badges nor did they produce any warrants. They had infringed the SOP (Standard Operaing Procedure, and neglected the ROE (Rule of Engagement). The arrests made on 28 July and similar arrests on the other dates (10, 12 June, 1, 7, 14, 21 July) are all unlawful.

     Today, forty-four protesters, from age 16 to 41, charged with rioting during the clashes on 28 July on Hong Kong Island have been released on bail, along with another activist charged with possession of an offensive weapon.

     Despite the popular outcry from Hong Kong people from different sectors urging the Police Commissioner to issue an immediate official apology for its wilful attacks against citizens, people’s demand once again had not been heard. The reputation of HKPC is totally wrecked.

     Although we repeatedly demand the Independent Police Complaints Council (IPCC) to set up an independent inquiry to investigate HKPF’s misconduct and its gross abuse of power, once again the voice of the Hong Kong people is ignored. We seriously doubt of the independence, integrity and 
effectiveness of IPCC;

     More peaceful rallies will be held in August to openly condemn police excessive use of force as part of the ongoing anti-extradition bill protests. The Hong Kong people re-state their five major demands: 

(1) Independent inquiry on police brutality

(2) Immediate release all protesters

(3) Retract the characterisation of peaceful protests as “riots" 

(4) Complete withdrawal of the Extradition Bill 

(5) Chief Executive Carrie Lam to step down. 

     We are deeply worried that this unlawful use of force by the HKPF will persist. More unarmed peaceful protesters, mostly young people, will continued to be hurt and sustain a disproportionate level of injuries, some of which can be long term.

     We implore the ICJ to take this crisis seriously and take immediate action to hold the HKPF to account. The Hong Kong government and the police force have completely failed to serve its people. It is only with the intervention of international organisations like the ICJ, we will have a hope to restore order and peace on our streets in a place we call home.

     We look forward to hearing from you soon.

    Your sincerely,
    Hong Kong Citizens

(photo credit: Hong Kong Free Press)

危急！香港需要幫助！
請簽名並支持！ 我們正在寫信要求國際法院（ICJ）在2019年6月和7月正式調查香港警察過度使用過度武力對抗公民。

最近幾天，香港數十萬人走上街頭抗議有爭議的“引渡條例草案”。在最新一輪抗議活動中，香港警務處一直對參與和平抗議活動的公民使用過量的暴力和槍械。確認使用的人群控制武器和彈藥包括：警棍，胡椒噴霧，橡皮子彈，水砲，催淚瓦斯和最近的“海綿手榴彈”。這種極端暴力的唯一目的是“意圖傷害”。人們認為這是對“執法人員使用武力和火器的聯合國原則”的直接和公然違反。據報導，許多非武裝抗議者遭到毆打或槍擊，其中有子彈直接射向他們頭上。

自6月12日起，我們相信香港警務處可能已犯下以下罪行：
1.侵略罪 2.常規戰爭罪 3.危害人類罪

在這些行動中，警員沒有佩戴身份徽章，也沒有出示任何委任證。他們觸犯了SOP（標準操作程序，忽略了ROE（警察通例）。在7月28日的逮捕和其他日期（7月10日，12日，7日，7日，14日，21日）的類似逮捕都是不能接受的。

7月28日在香港島發生的衝突中，四十四名年齡從16歲至41歲的示威者被控暴動罪，另外還有另一名被控藏有攻擊性武器的活動分子。

儘管來自不同界別的香港人普遍強烈要求警務處處長立即就其對巿民的蓄意襲擊立即道歉，但人們的要求再一次沒有被聽到。香港警察的聲譽盪然無全。 雖然我們多次要求監警會（獨立監察警方處理投訴委員會)進行獨立調查，以調查警務處的不當行為及濫用權力，但香港人的聲音再次被忽視。我們嚴重懷監警會的獨立性，正直和其有效性;

8月將舉行更多和平的集會，我們公開譴責警察過度使用武力，作為正在進行的反引渡法案抗議活動的一部分。

香港人重申他們的五大要求：
（1）對警察濫權暴行進行獨立調查 （2）立即釋放所有抗議者撤銷對今為所
有反送中抗爭者控罪
（3）收回暴動定義
（4）完全撤回修例
（5）行政長官林鄭月娥下台。

我們擔心香港警隊非法使用武力會繼續發生，更多非武裝的和平示威者，主要是年輕人將繼續受到傷害並承受不成比例的傷害，其中一些傷害可能是長期的。

我們懇請國際法院認真對待這場危機，並立即採取行動讓香港警務處負起責任。香港政府和警察部隊完全沒有為人民服務。只有在像國際法院這樣的國際組織的干預下，我們才有希望在我們稱之為家的地方恢復我們街道上的秩序與和平。

我們期待您的回覆。

香港市民上

(相片鳴謝： Hong Kong Free Press)