"Many protesters experienced being part of a civic collective for the first time," said Huang, who fled to Germany in March after narrowly avoiding detention during protests in Shanghai.
Reuters was unable to confirm the total number of protesters detained last year, although some were since released.
This year, on the weekend anniversary of the protests, there were no demonstrations in Beijing and Shanghai.
During last year's Beijing protests, some demonstrators also called for press freedom, democracy and human rights.
Some of the protesters that Reuters spoke to, as well as observers, said the events helped raise awareness of how much political power Chinese people actually wielded.
Persons:
Huang, Xi, It's, Li, Li Keqiang, I'm, Laurie Chen, Jessie Pang, Casey Hall, Nicoco Chan, Brenda Goh, Tian, Miral
Organizations:
Reuters, Washington DC, Thomson
Locations:
BEIJING, HONG KONG, China, Germany, Shanghai, Beijing, New York, London, Tiananmen, Italy, Guangzhou, Hong Kong