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They Demanded Democracy. Years Later, They Are Still Paying the Price.

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Thousands of young people lost careers, friends and dreams after taking part in mass antigovernment protests that erupted six years ago in Hong Kong.

A man stands against a blue wall in the corner of a rooftop in an urban area.

June 30, 2025, 12:01 a.m. ET

There was the software engineering major who crouched behind umbrellas to dodge rubber bullets. The social worker who marched with other pro-democracy protesters. And the student who handed out leaflets and made speeches.

All three had joined the Hong Kong protests that erupted in 2019, hoping for more democracy. Instead, the movement was crushed, and they, like many others, were arrested, sentenced and sent to prison.

More than 10,000 people were arrested during the monthslong uprising that began as peaceful mass rallies but grew sometimes violent as the police responded with force. Almost a quarter of those were convicted of crimes that include rioting and national security offenses.

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Pro-democracy protests in the summer of 2019 drew huge crowds.Credit...Lam Yik Fei for The New York Times

China’s national security crackdown on Hong Kong, which began five years ago, has quelled protests and effectively outlawed public dissent. Many of the protesters have moved overseas or gone back to their lives.

But for those convicted of crimes, moving on has been hard. Some have found themselves shut out from their former careers; others feel stranded as their peers have moved on.