The U.N. human rights chief called Saturday for the Hong Kong government to respect people's right to freedom of assembly as it enforced a face-mask ban the same day aiming to stop intensifying civil unrest in the Chinese territory.
Speaking to reporters in Kuala Lumpur, Michelle Bachelet also said she was "troubled by the high level of violence" during anti-government protests over the past few days and called for an independent investigation into the shootings of a journalist and protesters.
"A ban on face coverings during assemblies is in some circumstances used to target particular groups and improperly curtail the freedom of expression or peaceful assembly," Bachelet told a press conference.
"Freedom of peaceful assembly should be enjoyed without restriction to the greatest extent possible, but on the other hand, we cannot accept people who use masks to provoke violence," she added.
The Hong Kong government invoked an emergency law on Friday to ban face coverings at public demonstrations, in a bid to deter intensifying violence amid anti-government protests that have gone on for several months. The ban went into effect on Saturday.
On Tuesday, an 18-year-old high school student became the first victim shot at by police with a live round since the demonstrations began in June. He was wounded in the chest.
On Friday, a 14-year-old boy was reportedly shot in the thigh as a police officer opened fire while encircled by protesters. An Indonesian journalist was shot in the eye with a rubber bullet late last month and likely blinded permanently, according to local reports.
"We have called for an effective, prompt, independent and impartial investigation into acts of violence, including shootings," the U.N. high commissioner for human rights said.
Bachelet also called on Hong Kong authorities and people to engage in "genuine and transparent dialogue."
"I think that is the only way to enable consensus and rebuild confidence and trust," she said.
Bachelet, formerly the first female president of Chile, made the remarks at the end of her two-day visit to Malaysia. The visit was the first by a U.N. human rights chief.
During her visit, she met with Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who returned to power after his alliance won a May 2018 election on the platform of reform and a promise to uphold human rights.
In offering her assessment of multi-ethnic and multi-religious Malaysia, Bachelet said Malaysians have strong aspirations for positive change but that there are also concerns about how the changes will affect the interests of different sectors of society.
"We spoke about the government's efforts to ratify international human rights treaties and the need to clarify across the diverse communities in Malaysia that human rights reforms are not intended to be against one group or religion but that they will benefit society as a whole," she said.
The country's majority Malay Muslim population has opposed the government's attempt to ratify some U.N. treaties, such as the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, for fear it would strip away the group's special status in the country.
Related coverage:
Protesters march in Hong Kong in defiance of new face-mask ban
Hong Kong gov't bans wearing of face masks during protests
Shot Hong Kong protester prosecuted for assaulting police, rioting
