Few protests took place in June 2021 and there were no large-scale demonstrations in threat of the national security law. The anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre on 4 June saw only small crowds or single individuals engaging in vigils in the vicinity of Victoria Parkthe venue of large vigils on the same occasion in past yearsbefore police dispersed them. The pro-democracy tabloid Apple Daily once again had its headquarters raided by police using the national security law; its executives were arrested. Security Bureau also froze the assets of three Apple Daily companies, which led the newspaper to print its final edition on 24 June. Many pan-democratic groups disbanded at the end of the month under pressure from the law.
1 June
Activist bail denied On 1 June 2021, the bail application for Ben Chung, Gordon Ng, Henry Wong, Andrew Chiu, Nathan Lau, Gary Fan and Winnie Yu, were all denied. Raymond Chan and Carol Ng had withdrawn their bail applications earlier.
2 June
Good Neighbors North District Church dissolved In the early morning, Good Neighbors North District Church announced on Facebook that the group had ceased operations after 31 May, and the two meeting points in Fanling and Kwun Tong were also closed at the same time. The statement mentioned "Thank you all for walking along the way."
3 June
Former CUHK Student Union president sentenced to jail The former president of the Chinese University of Hong Kong Student Union, Owen Au, and four other men aged 20 to 48 were convicted of all 13 counts of unlawful assembly and possession of offensive weapons. The defense requested that "no one is a winner in the social movement, some people are in prison, some people immigrate, we are all victims in the incident", and pointed out that when the court imposes a sentence, it should send a message of tolerance and forgiveness. However, the magistrate of the Kowloon City Magistrates' Court, Jacky Ip, believed that the risk of violent incidents caused by illegal assembly was very high, and the defendants used objects to hide their identities. In the end, Au was sentenced to half a year in jail, and the remaining defendants were jailed for half a year to 8 months.
2021 Hong Kong Charter website taken down Nathan Law, an activist who is currently in exile in the UK, revealed that the 2021 Hong Kong Charter website established by him and other Hong Kong residents in exile could not be accessed a few days ago. They only learned about it after negotiating with the Israeli company Wix that provided the website design. Hong Kong police once issued a letter accusing the website of violating the national security law, for inciting secession, subversion and inciting subversive intentions, and requiring the supplier to be removed within 72 hours. Law later stated that within 3 hours of his announcement of the incident, Wix had issued a public statement on Twitter, saying that the website had been shut down by mistake and its operation had been restored, and he apologized for the incident.
4 June
Tiananmen Square vigil suppressed, small crowds dispersed around Victoria Park
On the 32nd anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre, the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China had called off its annual vigils after it had failed to obtain permission from police, ostensibly due to the COVID-19 pandemicthe same reason as in 2020, when thousands turned up for the vigil anyway when the national security law had not yet been in forceand warnings from the Security Bureau. To replace the vigil, the Alliance had encouraged people to light candles independently in public places at 8 p.m. Police sealed off Victoria Park, which had been the venue of the vigils in past years, in the afternoon and put up signs warning against a "prohibited public meeting". They dispersed the small crowd on the periphery of the park, which they by far outnumbered, just after 8 p.m.
6 June
Non-permanent overseas judge of Court of Final Appeal steps down British newspaper The Times reported that the British non-permanent overseas judge of the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal, Baroness Hale of Richmond, spoke at an online conference and reported that her term of office will expire on 29 July. "I don't want to be reappointed." She also said that the main reason for her departure was that under the current circumstances, she had various doubts about the national security law and could not predict when she could go to Hong Kong. The judiciary stated that Hale would not re-elect as a non-permanent judge of the final court for personal reasons.
7 June
Henry Tong allowed the 'joint enterprise' doctrine appeal to Court of Final Appeal During the riot in Sheung Wan on 28 July 2019, Henry Tong, Elaine To, and a 16-year-old girl Natalie Lee were charged with rioting and were found not guilty after trial. Department of Justice requested the Court of Appeal to clarify whether the 'joint enterprise' doctrine can be applied to cases of unlawful assembly and riot crime. Tong applied for an appeal to the Court of Final Appeal on the ruling. Court of Appeal considered that the prosecution had a profound impact on illegal assembly and riot crimes, and it was of major and widespread importance, so it granted permission to appeal.
University of Hong Kong reported two postgraduate faculty members suspected of violating the National Security Law American magazine The Atlantic quoted a professor at the University of Hong Kong who did not want to be named as saying that a group of professors on campus held a closed-door meeting in May on how the national security law would affect the freedom of university research in the future. During the meeting, it was talked about whether the school will provide legal support to professors accused of violating the law, the consequences of students being reported, and whether the school will force professors to teach students about national security education. The professor pointed out that when the meeting came to an end, the professors expressed despair and fear, and pointed out that "'sadness' or 'disappointment' is not enough to describe." The report also revealed that a graduate student of the University of Hong Kong reported that two professors were suspected of violating the national security law.
8 June
Clerk and student charged for sedition A 17-year-old male student and a 45-year-old female clerk were arrested by the National Security Department of the Hong Kong Police and charged with one count of 'conspiracy to publish, publish, distribute, display or copy seditious publications.' This is the first time a minor has been prosecuted. The case was brought to the West Kowloon Magistrates' Court. The prosecution alleged that the two conspired to print and distribute leaflets of Hong Kong independence between May and December 2020. The content included advocating for Hong Kong's independence and acts endangering national security, but did not disclose for promoting the content of the Hong Kong independence. National security law-designated judge Victor So does not believe that they will no longer commit acts endangering national security and opposes the application for bail; and postponed the case until 4 August, pending further investigation by the police.
Bus driver found guilty for careless driving A bus driver of NWFB Route 970, Cheung Ho-yin, was stopped by a riot police officer on Nathan Road in Yau Ma Tei on 6 September 2020. He was accused of ringing for no reason and approaching a cleaning woman. He also pointed out that he did not use his hands on Pok Fu Lam Road on the same day. Cheung holds the wheel firmly and charged with dangerous driving and careless driving. Principal Magistrate Ada Yim accused the defendant of failing to focus on the road conditions and adjusting the speed and distance of the vehicle without reasonable circumstances, and was convicted of careless driving. At the same time, she pointed out that there were many passengers in the defendant's car, and pointed out that the penalty could not be dealt with, and the license would be considered to be suspended. In addition, the defendant committed accidentally driving three times in a row, so a fine will not be considered. The magistrate believed that the social service order report indicated that the Cheung was remorseful and sentenced to perform a 100-hour social service order. Lam Kam-piu, president of the New World First Bus Staff Union, believes that the sentence is too heavy. He questioned the fact that the police knew that there was a large-scale demonstration but did not close the road. He believed that mishandling by the police caused misunderstanding. He also said that many bus drivers will inevitably drive or organize things with one hand. He is worried that after the verdict of this case, many drivers may fall into the net of justice every day.
Two person fined for violating the gathering restriction order Two 25-year-old men were accused of chanting slogans and gathering with more than 100 people in Mong Kok during the 'Sing with You' activity launched on Mother's Day on 10 May 2020, and were charged for violating the 8-person gathering restriction order. Magistrate Andy Cheng believes that when the police officer issued a warning, coupled with the fact that he had been on guard for a period of time, he described that "anyone who has nothing to do with the incident will stay away from the gathering." When the police chased 15 people, they believed that there would be no passers-by running away with them under normal circumstances. Therefore, they were certain that they belonged to one of the gathering groups of 100 people earlier and had already violated the gathering restriction order. The magistrate also believed that there was no need to record everything in the police log, and agreed that the evidence was not fictitious and found the two defendants guilty. Finally, considering that the large number of people gathered at that time would pose a very large risk of spreading the epidemic, the two were fined HK$12,000 each, which is six times the amount of the plea.
Lam Cheuk-ting's riot court case adjourned to 2023 Former Legislative Council member Lam Cheuk-ting and seven others, were charged with participating in the riot in the Yuen Long station attack. The case was brought before the District Court again. Except for the third and fourth defendants, who failed to respond, the five defendants including Lam pleaded not guilty. The case is scheduled for trial on 27 March 2023, and the trial is expected to be 25 days. The prosecution revealed that it would summon 3 public witnesses and 12 police officers, and relied on the defendant's video interviews, CCTV footage and online footage for 168 minutes. However, in the earlier 721 attack, the prosecution decided not to call any police officers to give evidence in court.
Canada adds two more permanent residence channels for Hong Kong residents Canadian Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Marco Mendicino, announced that it will provide two groups of Hong Kong residents in Canada with a way to apply for permanent residency, targeting Hong Kong residents who have worked in Canada for at least one year or have recently graduated from college. The policy will take effect on 1 June and will end on 31 August 2026, but the press release emphasizes that the plan may be cancelled at any time.
10 June
Students organized a bazaar scene questioned by FEHD