Condemning the Hong Kong Government’s Violent Clearance Operations and the Trampling of Fundamental Human Rights Under the Umbrella Movement
Last edited: 2026-08-25
As the Umbrella Movement in Hong Kong entered its 60th day, the Argyle Street section of the Mong Kok occupation area between Nathan Road and Portland Street was subjected to a violent and forceful clearance by over 6,000 police officers. Fully armed police used batons to intimidate and beat demonstrators who refused to leave, and even deployed tear-water cannons against them. Relying on their numerical superiority, police battered unarmed citizens, leaving many bloodied. At least 80 protesters were arrested at the scene, including Hong Kong Federation of Students Vice Secretary-General Chen Ao-hui (岑敖暉) and Scholarism Convener Huang Chih-feng (黃之鋒), with shocking reports emerging that Huang Chih-feng and others were beaten while in police custody.
The Hong Kong government's willingness to resort to violence and shed blood in Mong Kok diverted attention from the focus of the Umbrella Movement and trampled upon the reasonable demands of Hong Kong people to strive for genuine universal suffrage through peaceful and rational means. According to the concluding observations of the United Nations Human Rights Committee on Hong Kong in 2013 under the ICCPR, the Hong Kong government should implement a universal and equal electoral system, ensure that all citizens enjoy the right to vote and to be elected under the new electoral system in accordance with Article 25 of the ICCPR, and the Committee recommended the withdrawal of reservations to Article 25, paragraph 2, of the ICCPR. However, the actions of the Hong Kong government ran completely counter to the Committee's recommendations and ignored the steadfast belief of Hong Kong citizens in human rights and democratic systems over the years. Furthermore, the Hong Kong government directed the police to indiscriminately use violence—such as batons, shields, pepper spray, and tear gas—to disperse peacefully occupying crowds, and even subjected arrested individuals to lynch-style beatings during arrest, all of which severely violate Article 7 of the ICCPR prohibiting torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment.
Citizens taking to the streets to express their demands in a peaceful, rational, and non-violent manner is not only at the core of freedom of speech and the right of assembly, but also a universally recognized fundamental human rights value, playing an extremely vital role in the democratic and pluralistic facets of society. Today, the arrogant and high-handed abuse of public authority and the spectacle of police being reduced to thugs have played out once again in Hong Kong. Just a stone's throw away in Taiwan, having experienced the March 24 Executive Yuan incident and the April 28 anti-nuclear protests being suppressed by those in power this year, we feel profound grief at this blatant and escalating state violence, and we strongly condemn the state apparatus for daring to act with such lawlessness and disregard for human rights.
In response to the out-of-control conduct of the Hong Kong government and police, as a Taiwanese social movement organization, we issue the following statement:
- The Hong Kong government and police must immediately cease all violent acts and refrain from further injuring any protesters.
- The Hong Kong government must promptly investigate and hold accountable those responsible for exerting violence against the crowd.
- The Hong Kong government must actively confront the demands of the movement and implement genuine universal suffrage.
Initiating Organizations
Taiwan Association for Human Rights, Covenants Watch, Judicial Reform Foundation, Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty
Joint Supporting Organizations
Taiwan Northern Society, Taiwan Tongzhi Intersex Rights Care Association, Taiwan Association for Rights of Children and Youth, Taiwan Yung-Society, Taiwan Civil Media Cultural Association, Chinese Association for Human Rights, Chinese Democracy and Culture Association, Taiwan Tongzhi Hotline Association, Soochow University Master Program in Human Rights, Chang Fo-quan Center for Human Rights, Humanistic Education Foundation, Awakening Foundation, Environmental Jurists Association, Taiwan Medical Society, Taiwan Guard Alliance, A-Bian Fellowship, Research Center for Third Sector at National Chengchi University, Taiwan Association for Promotion of Peace (Signatures still in progress...)
Joint Statement Condemning the Violent Crackdown on the Peaceful Pro-Democracy Protestors in Hong Kong
translator: David Wu
proofread: Shaina Wang
On the sixtieth day of the Umbrella Movement, protesters at Mong Kok (旺角) were violently cracked down and forcedly evicted by the overwhelming force of more than six-thousand policemen. The heavily-armed police force cleared off the peaceful and un-armed protesters with batons and tear-gas guns. More than eighty protestors were arrested, including the Vice Secretary-General of HKFS Joshua Wong (黃之鋒) and the Convener of Scholarism Lester Shum(岑敖暉). Evidence shows that Joshua Wong was beaten in the police office.
The bloody crack-down by the Hong Kong government in Mong Kok not only missed out the demands put forward by the Umbrella Movement, but also trampled on the peaceful pursuit of the universal suffrage. According to the ICCPR Conclusion Observation and Recommendations of Hong Kong’s periodic review 2013, the Hong Kong Government should ‘take all necessary measures to implement universal and equal suffrage in conformity with the Covenant as a matter of priority for all future elections…. It should ensure…all its citizens, under the new electoral system…the right to vote and to stand for election in compliance with article 25 of the Covenant.’ Nevertheless, Hong Kong government’s reaction, has not only departed from UN Human Rights Committee’s recommendation, but also has ignored the everlasting belief on human rights and democracy in every citizen’s mind. The violent crack-down on the peaceful protestors with batons, shields, pepper-sprays, and tear-gas as well as physically abusing the protestors during arrest and detention by the HK government have violated the 7th Act of ICCPR which states that ‘No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.’
The peaceful, reasonable and non-violent protest and demonstration are not only the core of the freedom of expression and the right to assembly but also the universal value of fundamental human rights, which plays the key role in pluralistic and democratic societies. Today, the outrageous arrogance of public sectors and the abuse power by police have again been rampant on the streets in Hong Kong, which reminds us the violent crack-down at government headquarters on 24 March and the anti-nuclear-plant movement on 28 April in Taiwan this year. With deep sadness, let us severely condemn the abuses of state power and violation of human rights and stand for the rule of law and the people in HK.
In regard to the unlawful behaviours of the HK state authority, we, the human rights organisations, jointly urge the HK government:
- To stop any act of violence and to ensure no further harm on any of these protesters.
- To investigate the abuse of state power and seek the accountabilities of the abusers immediately.
- To face and properly respond to the appeal for the true universal suffrage in HK put forward by the Umbrella Movement.
Joint Statement by:
Taiwan Association for Human Rights (TAHR)
Covenants and Conventions Watch
Judicial Reform Foundation
Taiwan Alliance to End Death Penalty
This article is an AI-generated translation of the original Chinese text. In the event of any discrepancy, the Chinese version shall prevail.