Prominent Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong pleads guilty in second national security case

HONG KONG — Prominent Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong pleaded guilty Wednesday to conspiracy to collude with foreign forces to endanger national security under a Beijing-imposed law that has effectively stifled the city's once-thriving pro-democracy movement.

It was the second prosecution of Wong, a former student leader in the pro-democracy movement and one of its most recognizable faces, under the national security law introduced in Hong Kong in 2020 to quell massive anti-government protests that rocked the city the year before.

Wong, 29, who wore a blue shirt, appeared thinner as he entered his plea. After hearing his lawyer's arguments for a lesser prison term, Judge William Tam said a sentence would be delivered as soon as possible, without specifying a date.

The offense is punishable by a prison term of three to 10 years, or up to life imprisonment if the offense is deemed to be “of a grave nature.” Pleading guilty could typically result in a reduced sentence, and his lawyers expressed hope for a penalty that would not be crushing.

He was already serving a prison term of four years and eight months after entering a guilty plea in a separate national security case linked to an unofficial political primary. Before the arrest for the collusion-related offense in June 2025, Wong had been expected to be freed next January.

Critics say Wong’s case showed the authorities’ determination to silence prominent dissidents, chilling civic activism. But to Beijing, Wong is an anti-China figure who supports Hong Kong independence, a red line for authorities.

Wong jotted notes during the hearing and said “bye bye” to the public gallery before leaving the courtroom.

Wong accused of conspiring with activist Nathan Law for years

The prosecution alleged that Wong and fellow activist Nathan Law had agreed in or around 2016 to lobby internationally to achieve their goal of democratic self-determination. Before the security law, they and others sought foreign forces to impose sanction, blockades or engage in other hostile measures against Hong Kong and China, it said.

Wong expressed support for the special status previously given by Washington to Hong Kong to be reviewed through the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act at a hearing of the U.S. Congressional-Executive Commission on China in 2019, the prosecution said, and pointed to his other lobbying efforts.

After the 2020 law took effect, Law and others who left Hong Kong continued their work abroad by meeting foreign politicians and launching petition drives. Wong supported the effort from Hong Kong through foreign media and social media, including sharing Law’s posts, to draw foreign countries’ attention and bolster the request for sanctions, blockade or other hostile measures, the prosecution said.

Prosecutors noted Wong shared Law’s online petition urging digital forensic companies to stop cooperating with police on Facebook after the security law took effect. One company later announced it would stop selling digital intelligence offerings to customers in Hong Kong and China, they said.

The prosecution also said Wong said in a work report he had helped end that company’s forensic software supply to police and had written to foreign companies warning about their collaboration with the Chinese government, among other activities.

Wong confirmed he agreed with the details read out by the prosecution.

Wong has spent nearly 6 years in prison

Wong's lawyer Derek Chan suggested that the judge adopt a starting point of less than 10 years for Wong's prison term and reduce it by about half due to his guilty plea and the delay in bringing his case to court. Chan urged for a sentence that would “give the defendant some hope" in the future to look forward to and would not be crushing for Wong.

Chan said Wong, who will turn 30 next month, has spent nearly six years in prison for other cases. He said Wong did not waste his time in prison, reading books, and matured substantially in his thinking. Wong hoped to take care of his parents after being released from prison, the lawyer added.

He has had a “lengthy opportunity to reflect" on his path, Chan said.

Outside of the court, Tiffany Chin, a former member of Scholarism, a now-dissolved group co-founded by Wong, said she felt mental pressure and she was not optimistic the sentence would be short. Chin said that while Wong was mentally prepared, he also had some mental pressure.

His friend Louis Lee said Wong read books, studied, learned guitar and exercised in prison, exploring new hobbies and new things behind bars. He said he hoped to see Wong outside prison as soon as possible.

“I believe he and I, or friends outside, we will do our best in our own roles and continue to work hard in our fields,” he said.

Wong rose to fame when he was a teen activist

In 2012, Wong rose to prominence as a high school student leading protests against the introduction of national education in Hong Kong schools. His fame spread later as a student leader of the 2014 Occupy Movement.

Wong co-founded a political party, “Demosisto,” in 2016 with fellow young activists, including Law, who became the city's youngest lawmaker that same year.

During the leaderless 2019 protests, Wong helped seek overseas support for the democracy movement, including from the U.S. But Beijing criticized his actions, saying he “begged for interference” by foreign countries.

Demosisto disbanded when Beijing imposed the security law in 2020, which authorities said was necessary for the city's stability.

Many other leading activists were also jailed under the same law, including former media tycoon Jimmy Lai. Some activists fled to other democratic countries, including the U.S. and the U.K.

Hong Kong authorities separately offered rewards of 1 million Hong Kong dollars ($127,600) for information leading to the arrests of Law, who moved to Britain, and other overseas-based activists.