Last August, the night after 26-year-old seminarian Samuel Chau spoke at a large Christian rally on how believers should respond to Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protests, a stranger sent him a message on WhatsApp. The text was filled with profanities, accusations, and threats.

The sender warned Chau against participating in any more prayer meetings and condemned him to hell. When Chau asked if the stranger had contacted the right person, he responded with Chau’s full name and the name of his seminary. (WORLD has given Chau a pseudonym due to the threats against him.)

WORLD first published this timeline on Aug. 30 and has periodically updated it as events develop. For the newest entries, please see the bottom of the page.

On Sunday in Hong Kong, an estimated 1.7 million people turned out under a pouring rain in a massive protest for democratic freedoms. It was the first peaceful weekend in 11 weeks of rallies and marches as the Hong Kong people continue to demand democratic representation and oppose a controversial extradition bill.

Things have changed since the protests began in June. Mark Sin, a 29-year-old university administrator, recalls watching protesters flee in different directions as police fired tear gas at demonstrators during a June 12 rally.