A dramatic manifestation of the far reach of the Hong Kong national security law was the mass arrest of 54 pro-democracy activists on 6 January. The arrested stood accused of subverting state power, a crime under the national security law, for their participation as candidates or in other capacities, in the 2020 Hong Kong pro-democracy primaries, which was part of a plan to increase pressure in parliament for democratic reform. Most of them were released on bail the following day. For the first time, the National Security Department of the police cited the national security law to block the website of HKChronicles. There were also several convictions in relation to the 2019-2020 Hong Kong protests.
1 January
New Year's protests largely suppressed, CHRF single-van protest
The day marked the first time in ten years that the Hong Kong new year marches did not take place. Police was out in force to prevent illegal protests. A van with Sam Yip, Lee Cheuk-yan and Figo Chan, from which banners were hanging which read "Free all political prisoners", was traveling from a reception centre for detainees in Lai Chi Kok, where Chan shouting the foregoing slogan, to Tsim Sha Tsui and then on to the Legislative Council Complex in Admiralty. Chan said that police had told the trio in advance of the protest that the mobile mini-demonstration was acceptable, as the ban on gatherings did not cover vehicles. Later, however, they asked them to tone down the speaker, and according to Chan, were accused repeatedly of violating the ban and social-distancing rules.
The police deployed tight defenses on the waterfront of Tsim Sha Tsui and used video cameras to photograph the gathering of citizens, urging them not to violate the gathering restriction order. During the countdown and as they were leaving, some people chanted Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times and ill wishes for the police officers and their families. Near the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, a number of police officers suddenly rushed to the leaving crowd and raised their flashlights. No one was arrested.
5 January
Chief Justice Geoffrey Ma speaking to reporters before retiring
Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal, Geoffrey Ma, met with reporters before retiring after ten years of service. Regarding calls for reforms which had come from the Chinese central government, Ma said that the judiciary would consider these if details were given. In an indirect reference to some court rulings which had caused dissatisfaction by those calling for reforms, he said that "it is not particularly satisfactory to call for reform on the basis of a result one does not like". Asked whether Hong Kong dissidents would still enjoy legal protection under local laws, given the provision in the Hong Kong national security law to extradite to the mainland, Ma said that there "was no straight answer", but that the courts would do their best to protect residents.
6 January
54 pro-democracy activists arrested for holding primary elections
In the morning, the police arrested at least 54 pan-democrats, including Democratic Party member Wu Chi-wai, James To, Andrew Wan, Lam Cheuk-ting, Civic Party member Alvin Yeung, League of Social Democrats member Jimmy Sham, convenor of Shatin Community Network Ventus Lau, Southern District Councillor Tiffany Yuen, former reporter Gwyneth Ho, director of the Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute Robert Chung, and Benny Tai, a former associate professor of the Faculty of Law of the University of Hong Kong. The arrests were due to their involvement as participants or in other capacities in the 2020 Hong Kong pro-democracy primaries. The police also arrived at the Ho, Tse, Wai & Partners law firm to arrest lawyer John Clancey, a United States citizen who was treasurer of Power for Democracy, an organization associated with the primaries.
Secretary for Security John Lee said that the arrested were suspected of subverting state power, a crime under the Hong Kong national security law. The plan by democrats, devised by Benny Tai, was to win at least 35 seats in the Legislative Council and to repeatedly veto the government's budget, thereby forcing the chief executive to step down.
Police officers visit three media outlets
National Security Department of the Hong Kong Police dispatched plainclothes officers to the Stand News office, requesting editor-in-chief Chung Pui-kuen to sign a government order demanding documents; Chung declined to elaborate for legal reasons. Later, independent media and Apple Daily were asked to provide information about the primary election candidates within seven days.
7 January
Joshua Wong and Tam Tak-chi arrested in prison In the morning, jailed activist Joshua Wong, the former secretary-general of Demosistō, and the vice chairman of the People Power Tam Tak-chi were arrested at Shek Pik Prison and Lai Chi Kok Reception Center, bringing the total number of those arrested in connection with the July 2020 primaries to 55.
Hong Kong Chronicles website blocked in Hong Kong Some Hong Kong netizens discovered that the HKChronicles website that was used to dox (publish) police officers’ personal data during the 2019-2020 Hong Kong protests could not be browsed and could only be connected via VPN. Chief editor of the website, Naomi Chan, pointed out that statistics showed that the number of users of the website from Hong Kong dropped sharply, and also revealed that local network providers such as SmarTone, China Mobile Hong Kong, Hong Kong Broadband and PCCW deliberately discarded the data sent by users, making it impossible to browse the website. She also received news from employees working at CSL and SmarTone that the government was asking Hong Kong Internet service providers to block certain websites. The police stated that they would not comment on individual cases, but according to Article 43 of the national security law and Schedule 4 of its Implementation Rules, service providers may be required to block access to electronic information deemed likely to constitute a crime endangering national security. A doxing website targeting pro-democracy protesters, as well as journalists, was reported on 11 January to remain accessible in Hong Kong.
Pro-democracy activists released on bail
All of the democrats who had been arrested on 6 January were released, with most of them posting a bail of HK$30,000 and handing in their travel documents, while some, including Claudia Mo, had their computers and mobile phones confiscated by police. Joshua Wong and Tam Tak-chi remained in jail, while Wu Chi-wai had his bail revoked because he failed to surrender his BNO passport and was remanded on separate charges. Former associate professor of the Law Department of the University of Hong Kong, Benny Tai, who initiated the pro-democracy primaries, said after his release at the Ma On Shan Police Station close to midnight, "Hong Kong has entered into a bitter winter, the wind blowing is strong and cold. But I believe that many Hong Kong people will still use their own ways to battle the wind."
8 January
Sentencing of Fu Guohao's attacker District Court Judge Clement Lee pronounced the sentence and sentenced the three defendants in the attack on Global Times reporter Fu Guohao to 4 years, 3 months to years in prison. The judge also pointed out that the Court of Appeal required the lower judges to consider the impact of such cases on the community.
9 January
Coroner's Court rules that the cause of Chow Tsz-lok's death is in doubt
With 48 witness testimonies having been submitted to the Coroner's Court, and after 17 hours of closed-door discussions by a jury composed of two men and three women, the judge provided the jury with three ruling options, namely 'illegal killing', 'died by accident' and 'doubtful ruling'. It was ruled 4 to 1 that the cause of death of Chow was in doubt. Coroner Ko Wai-hung described the inquiry as having "almost arrived at the truth" and that, if the parking lot security camera had moved up by five degrees, or if another camera at the site had moved at slower speed, the truth could have been revealed. The jury proposed at the same time that the closed-circuit television system of the parking lot involved be updated, automatic real-time settings be added, and a railing be added to the stone wall on the third floor.
Danish politicians wanted in Hong Kong Danish media Politiken reported that the Hong Kong authorities were investigating the exile of Ted Hui and were considering requesting the extradition of two Danish parliamentarians Uffe Elbaek and Katarina Ammitzbøll for sending false invitations to environmental protection meetings to assist Hui in exile. Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod said that his government "utterly" defended the right of Danish politicians to meet with whoever they wanted without fear of reprisals. There is no extradition agreement between Denmark and Hong Kong.
10 January
Regina Ip urges authorities to ban Hong Kong people from holding dual nationality Executive Council member and chairwoman of the New People's Party Regina Ip wrote in the South China Morning Post that it was time for China to end the special treatment of Hong Kong people and strictly enforce the Chinese nationality law to prohibit dual nationality. This was in response to the central government's consideration of countermeasures against possibility of 5.4 million eligible Hong Kong residents potentially being able to emigrate to the UK through a British National (Overseas) Passport visa.
Hong Kong government refutes foreign ministers remarks A spokesperson of the Hong Kong government denounced a joint statement by the foreign ministers of Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, and the United States Secretary of State on the raids for the pro-democracy primaries, stating that Hong Kong had a constitutional responsibility to safeguard national security.
11 January
District Court judge orders lawyer and audience to leave because of yellow masks During the hearing of a case of four suspects who pled guilty that day in the case of the violent clash inside Amoy Plaza on September 14, 2019, District Court Judge Ernest Lin asked the three present defendants, all of whom were wearing yellow masks, to leave the courtroom. He clarified on 13 January that it had been the protester slogans implied by the letters on at least one of the face coverings that had caused the ban, rather than the color commonly associated with the protesters.
Judge Lin alleged that reporters from the yellow vests at the scene had prevented the victims from leaving. Hong Kong Journalists Association issued a statement to rebuke this. The judge later said, "I believe professional journalists would not [knowingly] commit an offence, but the footage from that day could indeed cause misunderstandings."
One arrested after melee at CUHK entrance checkpoint It was the start day of the next semester of the Chinese University of Hong Kong. At 12:15 pm, CUHK campus radio said about 8-9 people in black and masked clothes outside the university station shouted at passers-by not to show their ID card, in protest of the closed-campus policy which the university had implemented after the November 2019 siege of the university, only admitting those with a valid student or alumni ID. The people then pushed down the iron fence and left. Some threw an unknown white powder at the security guard who chased them. Afterwards, the police arrested one of the men. The school confirmed that he was a CUHK student. He was sent to Ma On Shan Police Station for investigation on suspicion of disrupting public order and ordinary assault. The school also confirmed that a security guard had been sprayed with powder and was sent to the hospital for observation; and that the incident involved an assault, which had led to the police being called. The powder was later found to be corn starch.