HONG KONG • A Hong Kong court yesterday ordered rail operator MTR to hand over closed-circuit television footage of a police operation at two train stations during anti-government protests last year to a student leader who plans to use it to sue officers.
On Aug 31, scenes filmed by TV reporters of police beating protesters cowering on the floor of a train went viral, sparking outrage and demands for MTR to release the full footage.
MTR released only some screenshots through a press release.
The Hong Kong police maintain they were targeting violent radicals during the incident in and around the Prince Edward train station. The authorities have repeatedly rejected allegations of police brutality.
Mr Kex Leung, who is student union president at the Education University of Hong Kong, told reporters outside court yesterday that he planned to use the footage to sue police over what he said was his illegal arrest.
"This is a small victory. I hope Hong Kongers won't give up. Although the rule of law has been challenged in the past couple of years, we need to maintain our hope," said Mr Leung, who also claims he was beaten by officers.
MTR told Reuters the company respected the court's decision.
Hong Kong police did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The footage must be released to the student within 10 days, according to the High Court ruling.
Hong Kong protests escalated in June, with some of the fiercest clashes erupting on Aug 31, when police fired tear gas at pro-democracy protesters throwing petrol bombs.
The city has been relatively calm this year as it grapples to contain the coronavirus outbreak.
The student leader, who was arrested for illegal assembly and later released, said the court ruling did not allow him to release the footage to the public.
The protesters are angry about what they see as creeping Chinese interference in the former British colony, which was returned to China in 1997 under a "one country, two systems" policy intended to guarantee freedoms not enjoyed on the mainland. China says it is committed to the arrangement and denies meddling.
REUTERS
