WEB DESK
The United Nations human rights chief has called for an independent probe into the violence during anti-government protests in Hong Kong, saying the injuries were alarming. Two teenage protesters were shot while a journalist was permanently blinded in one eye in the past week during the worst outbreak of violence after four months of unrest in the Chinese-ruled city.
U.N. High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet today told a media conference in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur that they are troubled by the high levels of violence associated with some demonstrations.
She said they are also alarmed by the injuries to the police and protesters, including journalists and protesters shot by law enforcement officers. Bachelet said Hong Kong should immediately carry out an effective, prompt, independent and impartial investigation into acts of violence including the shootings, adding that those responsible must face due process.
In response to a ban imposed by Hong Kong authorities on face masks yesterday, Bachelet said the face-covering should not be used to provoke violence. She, however, warned Hong Kong against using the ban to target particular groups or curtail the right to freedom of assembly.
Meanwhile, pro-democracy protesters marched through Hong Kong in defiance of the face mask ban today. As a result, much of the city ground to a halt, with the subway being suspended and swathes of shops and malls shuttered following another night of violence.
Hundreds of protesters, almost all masked, staged an unsanctioned march through the popular shopping district of Causeway Bay.
The latest act of resistance came after a night of the widespread night of chaos as protesters trashed dozens of subway stations, vandalised shops with mainland China ties, built fires and blocked roads.