At least two protesters have been arrested at Queen Elizabeth Hospital after receiving treatment for injuries sustained during Wednesday’s unrest. Both were charged with rioting.
Lawyer Jonathan Man, who is helping the pair, confirmed the arrests with HKFP.
The City University of Hong Kong Student Union has confirmed that one of the university’s students was among those arrested.
Chief Executive Carrie Lam described the protests on Wednesday against the looming extradition law as a “riot.” The occupation of the area outside the legislature ended in violence on Wednesday as police deployed tear gas and rubber bullets against advancing crowds.
Lawyer Melody Chan described on social media how one protester was arrested on the spot: “Because the wound was unusual, the nurse somehow notified a police officer stationed at the hospital. The officer asked [where the protester] came from – he said ‘Admiralty’ and was arrested.”
See also: Hong Kong gov’t HQ and Admiralty MTR station to remain closed as protesters disperse overnight
Alfred Wong, a Tuen Mun Hospital doctor, said on Facebook that hospital staff have to know the causes of injuries but those admitted do not need to reveal their identity, nor the reason for – or the location where – they were injured.
“Doctors and nurses are not police officers. We do not have the right to force you to talk, especially about something irrelevant,” he said.
The number of casualties confirmed by the Hospital Authority as of Thursday 6am was 79 – the youngest of which was 15.
Hong Kong proposed legal amendments in February to allow the city to handle case-by-case extradition requests from jurisdictions with no prior agreements – most notably China and Taiwan.
The bill would enable the chief executive and local courts to handle extradition requests without legislative oversight, though lawyers, journalists, foreign politicians and businesses have raised concerns over the risk of residents being extradited to the mainland, which lacks human rights protections. The debate the legislature has been postponed.
The Hong Kong Free Press #PressForFreedom 2019 Funding Drive seeks to raise HK$1.2m to support our non-profit newsroom and dedicated team of multi-media, multi-lingual reporters. HKFP is backed by readers, run by journalists and is immune to political and commercial pressure. This year’s critical fundraiser will provide us with the essential funds to continue our work into next year.
