Prominent Hong Kong democracy activist Joshua Wong pleaded guilty on Wednesday to a charge of conspiring to collude with foreign forces under Beijing’s sweeping national security law. Wong, 29, entered his plea at Hong Kong’s High Court in the district of Admiralty. Wearing a blue shirt and appearing thinner, Wong sat in the courtroom dock before standing up to tell the judge loudly, “Confirm,” as charges were read out, according to AFP journalists inside the court.
Joshua Wong Pleads Guilty in Second National Security Case
The offense carries a standard prison term of three to 10 years, but can result in up to life imprisonment if the court deems it to be of a grave nature.
The judge stated that Wong’s sentence will be decided as soon as possible, though no specific date was provided. Several Western diplomats attended the hearing, and a supporter in the public gallery shouted “hang in there!”—prompting Wong to smile and nod in acknowledgment.
Allegations of Foreign Lobbying and Sanctions Advocacy
Prosecutors accused Wong of conspiring with fellow activist Nathan Law and others to ask foreign countries, institutions, organizations, or individuals to impose sanctions, blockades, or engage in other hostile actions against Hong Kong or China between July 1 and November 23, 2020. Authorities claimed the defendants lobbied internationally to achieve democratic self-determination after the national security law took effect on June 30, 2020.
According to the prosecution, Wong wrote for newspapers, spoke to media outlets, and shared online petitions urging digital forensic companies to stop cooperating with police. Prosecutors also alleged that Wong met with foreign politicians, including former U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and current U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and promoted the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act.
Imprisonment Status and Prior Convictions
Wong is already serving a nearly five-year prison sentence—specifically recorded as four years and eight months—following a guilty plea in a separate national security case linked to an unofficial political primary held in 2020 for Legislative Council elections. Before his arrest in this second case in June 2025, Wong had been expected to be released as early as next year.
Critics argue that the additional prosecution illustrates the determination of authorities to keep prominent dissidents behind bars and silence the city’s once-vibrant civil society. To Beijing, however, Wong is regarded as an anti-China figure who advocated for Hong Kong independence and sought foreign interference.
Activist Background and Decades of Protest
Wong first rose to public prominence as a teenager in 2012 when he led high school protests against the introduction of national education in Hong Kong schools. In 2014, he gained international recognition as a student leader during the 79-day Umbrella Movement, where demonstrators occupied streets to call for direct leadership elections. In 2016, he co-founded the pro-democracy political party Demosisto, which ultimately disbanded on the day the national security law was enacted.
While in detention, Wong has focused on studying, reading, exercising, and learning the guitar, according to his friend and former Scholarism member Louis Lee. Meanwhile, fellow activist Nathan Law relocated to the United Kingdom, where he was granted political asylum, prompting Hong Kong authorities to issue a HK$1 million ($127,500) reward for information leading to his arrest.
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