This archive report was first published on 20 November 2019.
On November 20, 2019, Hong Kong was gripped by nearly six months of demonstrations against the city's China-backed government.
As the protests raged on, dozens of diehard pro-democracy protesters found themselves trapped inside the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), with police cordonning off the campus.
Desperate to escape, some protesters scouted out the drainage system, with rumors of successful escapes prompting students to try the dangerous underground route.
Two male protesters, along with four others who were lowering ropes to help them out, crawled through fetid sewers to a manhole outside a housing estate, approximately half a kilometre from the city centre grounds of PolyU.
However, their bid for freedom was short-lived, as they were arrested for a range of offences, including 'taking part in a riot' and 'assisting offenders', according to chief superintendent Ricky Ho.
Dozens of protesters who made a daring escape by shinning down ropes and jumping on waiting motorbikes, or making a run for it under the cover of darkness, were also arrested.
Some protesters received brutal beatings with batons, fists, and kicks to the head while prone on the ground.
