“There were young people, a pizza delivery boy, an Indian chef in his uniform, a mother and her son – normal people you see on a Sunday night walking down this area … there is no curfew, how can it be an unlawful assembly?” Bochenski said, adding that he was taken away after officers confirmed he was not a tourist.
Jan Bochenski recalls his arrest in Sai Wan as he stood on the street. Photo: Edward Wong
Lawyers and an ex-officer have accused Hong Kong police of indiscriminately arresting onlookers not involved in illegal anti-government protests and “purposely delaying” their right to access legal and consular help.
Among those affected was former marine police officer and retired pilot Jan Bochenski, 62, who was arrested earlier this month for joining an “unlawful assembly” in Sai Wan, his own neighbourhood.
He said he spent 30 hours in custody and had to wait for four hours to phone his wife and another four hours before he could speak to his lawyer despite multiple requests to officers.Hong Kong has been gripped by protests triggered by the now-abandoned extradition bill since June.
Riot police hold the line 200m from the liaison office during a protest on August 4
Bochenski recalled that he and about 30 other onlookers, who were watching police guard Beijing’s liaison office in Sai Wan from Ka On Street, were arrested at around 9pm on August 4.That night, thousands of protesters blocked roads, first in Kennedy Town and then in Causeway Bay. Police also used tear gas on a crowd advancing towards the liaison office.