Complaint: police beat up reporter

September 26, 2016 - 09:00

The chairman of the Hà Nội People’s Committee Nguyễn Đức Chung yesterday asked the capital police to urgently investigate the alleged harassment of a reporter and to report back by Tuesday.

The chairman of the Hà Nội People’s Committee Nguyễn Đức Chung yesterday asked the capital police to urgently investigate the alleged harassment of a reporter and to report back by Tuesday. — Photo baotintuc.vn

HÀ NỘI – The chairman of the Hà Nội People’s Committee Nguyễn Đức Chung yesterday asked the capital police to urgently investigate the alleged harassment of a reporter and to report back by Tuesday.

The police would also have to answer questions by the media as regulated in the law.

Earlier on Friday, Đông Anh District police found the body of a taxi driver under the Nhật Tân Bridge. Preliminary investigation concluded that the driver jumped off the bridge to commit suicide.

Journalist Trần Quang Thế of Tuổi trẻ (Youth) newspaper arrived at the scene at about 10am to report on the incident. Not noticing any camera ban sign or police line restricting the crime scene, he took out his camera.

After being stopped by a police officer, Thế showed his reporter’s accreditation and continued to take pictures. By then a group of people in casual clothes, whom many believed to be policemen, rushed in and repeatedly hit and kicked Thế in the head and the body.

His camera was also snatched by the group.

Hà Nội Police Director Đoàn Duy Khương on Saturday told the Vietnam News Agency that the Investigation Department would look into the harassment allegation.

“The police will strictly handle those police officers,” he said.

The Việt Nam Journalists Association on Saturday also asked Hà Nội police to urgently investigate the case in order to prevent it from becoming a “bad precedent”. – VNS  

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