A Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton Hong Kong partner was accidentally splashed with acid on Tuesday, as anti-government protests continue to escalate in Hong Kong.

Shuang Zhao, who specialises in capital markets transactions, was accidentally splashed with the acid on her way to work on Tuesday morning, according to sources familiar with the matter and a social media post seen by Law.com. She "suffered minor damages" on her arms and legs, but added it is "nothing serious". Zhao did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

According to the post, which appeared on the social media platform WeChat, Zhao was not a target of the attack. The acid was aimed at police officers who were on their way up a bridge near a subway station where the protesters were "making havoc", the post said. Protesters have been regularly vandalising subway stations in recent months, prompting the subway operator, MTR Corp. Ltd., to close most of its operations.

"The violence really should be stopped," the post said. "Everyone please stay safe. I will continue to pray for [Hong Kong], the city we all love and spend our working life to build up to contribute to its prosperity."

Zhao is one of two partners in Cleary's Hong Kong office. The other partner is office head Freeman Chan, who specialises in corporate finance. Chan did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In June, Chan and Zhao represented Chinese drugmaker Hansoh Pharmaceutical Group Co. Ltd. on a $1 billion initial public offering in Hong Kong.

Since June, Hong Kong has been shaken by anti-government protests, which have become increasingly violent in recent months. On Monday, a police officer shot a 21-year-old male student in his abdomen and protesters doused a 57-year-old man with flammable liquid and set him on fire; both men are in critical condition, according to the Hong Kong newspaper South China Morning Post.

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