Hong Kong's Joshua Wong Pleads Guilty Again
Hong Kong's Joshua Wong Pleads Guilty Again
The News
Hong Kong democracy activist Joshua Wong pleaded guilty Wednesday to conspiracy to collude with foreign forces to endanger national security — his second conviction under the security law Beijing imposed on the city in 2020.
Wong, 29, is accused of conspiring with fellow activist Nathan Law and others to ask foreign countries, institutions, organizations or individuals outside China to impose sanctions, blockades or other hostile actions against Hong Kong or China between July 1 and Nov. 23, 2020.
The offense carries three to 10 years in prison — or up to life if a court finds it "of a grave nature." The case was heard in Hong Kong's High Court, where a judge hand-picked by the government to handle national security cases is presiding, according to CNN.
Wong is already serving four years and eight months from an earlier national security case tied to an unofficial opposition primary. Before his arrest in the collusion case in June 2025, he had been expected to walk free in January 2027.
Timeline
Wong, then a high school student, rises to prominence leading protests against the introduction of national education in Hong Kong schools.
He becomes an internationally known face of the Occupy Movement as a student leader.
Wong co-founds the political party Demosisto with other young activists, including Nathan Law, who becomes the city's youngest lawmaker that year.
During Hong Kong's leaderless mass protests, Wong helps seek overseas support for the democracy movement, including from the United States. Beijing accuses him of "begging for interference" by foreign countries.
Beijing imposes the national security law after the 2019 unrest. Demosisto disbands. Prosecutors say the collusion conspiracy ran from July 1 to Nov. 23 of that year.
Wong pleads guilty in the landmark subversion case over the unofficial primary and is sentenced to four years and eight months.
He is arrested again, this time on the foreign collusion charge, months before his scheduled release.
Wong pleads guilty in the High Court. Prosecutors are to outline the details of the charge, with his lawyers responding.
Reactions
A Hong Kong government spokesman brushed off international criticism of the prosecution: "The lawful exercise of free speech must not be conflated with taking actions to collude with a foreign country to impose 'sanctions' to harm one's own country."
Beijing officials have labeled Wong and other pro-democracy activists "separatists," and treat support for Hong Kong independence as a red line. Both the Chinese and Hong Kong governments say the security law has restored stability.
Rights groups say the opposite — that the law has stifled dissent and made criticism of the government legally dangerous. Critics of the case say it shows the authorities' determination to silence the movement's best-known figures.
Security was heavy outside the court, with police registering and searching dozens of people in line, CNN reported. Gloria Cheng, 32, a friend of Wong's, said: "This is not the first time for him and there were others before him. It really shows the state of affairs in Hong Kong now."
Louis Lee, who has visited Wong in jail, said the activist has tried to stay positive by studying, working out and learning guitar, but was devastated to be charged a second time. "We are very upset because no one would like to spend another day in prison," Lee said.
What's Next
The court is expected to adjourn and sentence Wong at a later date. A guilty plea typically earns a reduced sentence, but the charge still exposes him to life imprisonment if the conduct is deemed grave.
Whatever the term, it will be added on top of a sentence that had been due to end in January 2027.
More
Wong is not alone. Many other leading activists have been jailed under the same law, including former media tycoon Jimmy Lai, while others fled to democracies including the United States and Britain.
Hong Kong authorities have offered rewards of 1 million Hong Kong dollars — about $127,600 — for information leading to the arrest of Nathan Law, who moved to Britain, and other overseas-based activists.
The American angle is direct: the conduct being punished is asking Washington and other foreign governments for sanctions, the same lobbying that produced US measures against Hong Kong officials.
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