A reporter was permanently blinded after being shot in the face with a rubber bullet during Hong Kong protests, lawyer says
Screenshot/Channel News Asia
An Indonesian journalist was blinded from an eye injury she got covering protests in Hong Kong, her lawyers say.
Veby Indah, an editor for the Indonesian-language paper Suara, was hit in the eye by a projectile on Sunday near the Wan Chai district.
Her lawyers say the round was fired from a police 12-gauge shotgun from a distance of about 40 feet.
An Indonesian journalist who was shot in the eye during protests on Sunday has been permanently blinded, her lawyer said in a statement on Wednesday.
Veby Indah, an editor for the Indonesian-language paper Suara, was injured by a projectile near the city's Wan Chai district while she was reporting.
According to a statement from law firm Vidler and Co. Solicitors, the round was fired from a police 12-gauge shotgun from a distance of about 40 feet.
Indah was wearing protective gear including a helmet and goggles. She was also wearing a high visibility vest with press markings, and was standing separately from protesters, her lawyer said.
The projectile penetrated her goggles and caused a severe injury to her right eye, which required stitches.
In a statement on Wednesday, lawyer Michael Vidler said that doctors told Indah she would be left with permanent blindness.
"Regrettably, the injury she received as a result of being shot by police will result in permanent blindness in her right eye," the statement reads.
"She was informed that the pupil of her eye was ruptured by the force of the impact. The exact percentage of permanent impairment can only be assessed after surgery," it adds.
The lawyer said evidence from a third party indicated that the projectile that was launched in Indah's direction was actually a rubber bullet and not a beanbag round as previously thought.
Large-scale demonstrations have taken place over the last few days in response to the five-year anniversary of the Umbrella Movement on September 28, and the 70th anniversary of the formation of the People's Republic of China on October 1.
Clashes between police and protesters erupted across the city, and officers fired tear gas and water cannons at crowds.
On Tuesday, police shot 18-year-old protester Tsang Chi-kin at point-blank range in the chest, marking the first time that live fire was used since protests began in June.
The teen is set to be charged on Thursday afternoon for attacking law enforcement, police said in a statement, according to Associated Press.
In August, a young female medic was hit in the eye by a beanbag round. Law enforcement has denied causing the injury.
