Taiwan News
Date: 2015-07-24
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Taipei City Mayor Ko Wen-je said Friday that police had not followed

standard operating procedures when arresting three reporters at a student protest against the Ministry of Education.

A total of 33 people, including 11 students, had been arrested after protesters against changes in high-school curriculum guidelines entered the Ministry of Education building Thursday evening.

Even though the three journalists had identified themselves and told police they were covering the protest, they were still taken away by officers as defendants for unauthorized entering of the MOE, provoking a dispute about their rights.

Ko said the city’s police chief had told him his officers had not followed standard operating procedures, but the MOE had called them in to respond to a situation and they had arrested people caught in the act. Police had handed over the arrested protesters and the journalists to prosecutors, who would have to shoulder responsibility for further developments.     [FULL  STORY]