Prominent Hong Kong Pro-Democracy Campaigner to Face New Prison Sentence After Guilty Plea - Aman Shanti News

Joshua Wong, once a prominent figure in Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movements, now faces an additional prison term after his second conviction under a Beijing-imposed national security law on Sept. 2.

Wong, 29, pleaded guilty to a charge of foreign collusion before William Tam, a Hong Kong government-appointed judge overseeing national security cases, during a hearing at Hong Kong’s High Court, according to local media publication The Witness.

He will receive a sentence on a future date.

The charge—“conspiracy to collude with a foreign or external force to endanger national security”—carries a minimum prison term of three years.

If the offense is considered grave in nature, the maximum penalty is life imprisonment.

A guilty plea may lead to a lighter sentence.

Wong is currently serving a four-year-and-eight-month jail sentence for conspiring to subvert state power—a separate national security case related to his involvement in the city’s pro-democracy election primaries in 2020.

He was originally due to be released next January.

Last year, Wong was accused of conspiring with others, including Nathan Law, a prominent pro-democracy activist now in exile in the United Kingdom, to request sanctions against Hong Kong and Beijing between July and November 2020.

The national security law went into effect on July 1, 2020, the 23rd anniversary of the city’s transfer from British to Chinese rule.

Since then, dozens of civil society groups have disbanded, and independent media outlets have ceased operations.

Outspoken pro-democracy activists are either behind bars or forced into exile.

In mitigation, Wong’s defense lawyer, Derek Chan, told the court that Wong, who will turn 30 next month, has been in prison since he was 24, when he was arrested on a separate case in November 2020, according to The Witness.

Chen said Wong has had plenty of time to reflect on his actions and the path he took during his nearly six-year incarceration.

The lawyer added that Wong had read more than 100 books in prison and hoped that he could look after his aging parents once he is released, The Witness said.

The judge didn’t set a date for Wong’s sentencing, saying that he would decide as soon as possible, according to The Witness.

Pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong prepares to board a Correctional Service Department van ahead of a court hearing at Lai Chi Kok Reception Center in Hong Kong on Dec. 18, 2020. (Anthony Kwan/Getty Images) — Pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong prepares to board a Correctional Service Department van ahead of a court hearing at Lai Chi Kok Reception Center in Hong Kong on Dec. 18, 2020. Anthony Kwan/Getty Images

Reaction

The potential new punishment against Wong has drawn immediate criticism from human rights advocates.

Yalkun Uluyol, China researcher at Human Rights Watch, said Wong was punished for “being an inspiration for many.”

“It’s an unacceptable cruelty to keep stacking charges against him,” Uluyol said on X. “Authorities should free him immediately.”

Frances Hui, a Hong Kong activist wanted by the city’s government for her pro-democracy campaign, said Wong’s case showed how the national security law is being used to “punish peaceful advocacy, including conduct that took place before the law existed.”

“Joshua’s imprisonment reflects Beijing’s effort to silence Hong Kong’s most prominent democracy activist of the young generation,” Hui wrote on X.

Candy Lau, a former member of the now-disbanded student group Scholarism and a friend of Joshua Wong, speaks to reporters outside the High Court in Hong Kong on Sept. 2, 2026. (Wu Ruilue/The Epoch Times) — Candy Lau, a former member of the now-disbanded student group Scholarism and a friend of Joshua Wong, speaks to reporters outside the High Court in Hong Kong on Sept. 2, 2026. Wu Ruilue/The Epoch Times

Ahead of the hearing, Candy Lau, a former member of the now-disbanded student group Scholarism, told reporters outside the court that she was not optimistic about the sentencing, saying he could face more than 10 years in prison.

Candy said that people in their 20s and 30s “should be enjoying their lives, building their careers, and spending time with their families and friends,” but instead, Wong had to spend many years in prison.

“He is a very sincere person who cares deeply about Hong Kong,” she said. “As a human, he deserves a chance to have freedom.”

Wong’s friend Louis Lee told reporters that, as a friend, he would continue to support Wong and that he believed Wong has always felt the public’s support and care.

Louis Lee, a former member of the now-disbanded student group Scholarism and a friend of Joshua Wong, speaks to reporters outside the High Court in Hong Kong on Sept. 2, 2026. (Wu Ruilue/The Epoch Times) — Louis Lee, a former member of the now-disbanded student group Scholarism and a friend of Joshua Wong, speaks to reporters outside the High Court in Hong Kong on Sept. 2, 2026. Wu Ruilue/The Epoch Times

Youth Activist

Wong is a well-known youth activist in Hong Kong who rose to prominence as a secondary school student opposing Beijing’s national education curriculum, which he criticized as an effort to brainwash students into loyalty to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

In 2011, Wong and a group of fellow students founded Scholarism, with the then-15-year-old Wong serving as the convener. Under public pressure, the Hong Kong government eventually canceled the project.

Wong was also one of the student leaders of the 2014 pro-democracy protest that demanded universal suffrage and free elections.

That year, he was named by Time magazine as one of the world’s 25 most influential teenagers for his role in the city’s massive protests, known as the Umbrella Movement.

Joshua Wong (C) along with other student leaders of the Hong Kong protests on Nov. 18, 2014. (Benjamin Chasteen/The Epoch Times) — Joshua Wong (C) along with other student leaders of the Hong Kong protests on Nov. 18, 2014. Benjamin Chasteen/The Epoch Times

In 2016, Wong co-founded the political party Demosisto and served as its secretary-general, which helped then-party chairman Nathan Law become the youngest person ever elected to Hong Kong’s parliament. Demosisto was disbanded shortly after Beijing unveiled the plan to impose national security law.