Hong Kong —
Joshua Wong, the former teenage activist who became a key leader in Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement, faces the prospect of many more years in prison after pleading guilty on Wednesday in the latest national security case brought by prosecutors.
Wong, now 29, is accused of colluding with fellow activists in 2020 to invite foreign sanctions against China and Hong Kong. That was the year the Chinese government introduced a national security law that critics say severely froze political freedoms.
Wong pleaded guilty in a landmark subversion trial in 2024 and is already serving a four-year, eight-month sentence in prison. His latest case will be heard in Hong Kong’s High Court on Wednesday and could carry a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Wong and his fellow democracy activists were previously labeled “separatists” by Chinese government officials in 2019 after massive and sometimes violent pro-democracy protests disrupted the global financial hub.
The law increases Beijing’s scrutiny of the former British colony, and both governments say it has helped “restore” stability. But human rights groups say the law stifles dissent and makes any criticism of the government risky.
On Wednesday, judges selected by the government to handle national security cases heard a summary of the charges from prosecutors.
Prosecutors say that prior to the National Security Law (NSL) being invoked, Wong, along with others, lobbied for legislation in the United States that would allow the US government to impose sanctions on Hong Kong and China. This was accomplished through a social media campaign and meetings with US politicians, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and then-Senator Marco Rubio. They also encouraged other countries to impose sanctions.
Prosecutors say their “international front” plan continued even after the law was enacted, with the United States imposing sanctions on more than a dozen Hong Kong and Chinese officials in 2020 and beyond.
Mr. Wong’s representative responded.
The court is likely to adjourn for a verdict at a later date.
A Hong Kong government spokesperson dismissed international criticism of Wong’s prosecution.
“We must not confuse the lawful exercise of free speech with the act of colluding with foreign countries to impose ‘sanctions’ that harm our country,” they said.
Security was tight around the courthouse, with police officers registering and searching the dozens of people lined up outside.
Among them was Wong’s friend Gloria Chen, 32.
“This is not his first time, there have been others before him,” she said, referring to the prosecution of other opposition figures.
“This clearly represents the current situation in Hong Kong.”
Seating on the court was limited, so supporters took turns to enter to catch a glimpse of Wong, wave to him and leave to make room for others.
Lewis Lee said he had been visiting Wong in prison and said the activist had tried to stay positive by studying, exercising and learning to play the guitar.
He said he was devastated to learn that Wong had been indicted for a second time on national security-related charges.
“We are very upset because no one wants to spend another day in jail,” Lee said.
Wong shot to fame in 2012, when he was just 15 years old, when he and his friends led a sit-in protest that successfully overturned a government plan to introduce Chinese civics education in the city’s schools.
At the time, critics worried that such education amounted to propaganda by the Chinese government. This curriculum is now mandatory in all schools under the NSL imposed by Beijing.
Two years later, Mr. Wong became one of the key leaders of the city’s Umbrella Movement, which brought thousands of mostly young people to the streets calling for greater democracy by blocking major thoroughfares for 79 consecutive days.
He was famous for his passionate speeches and attracted large numbers of supporters.
He then tried to enter politics and fight for democracy, but his candidacy was repeatedly blocked.
In 2016, he co-founded the pro-democracy party Demosisto and succeeded in making co-founder Nathan Lo the youngest member of the city’s legislative council, but Wong was barred from running because of his young age. The party announced its disbandment hours after the Chinese government passed the NSL, and a few days later Lo said he had left Hong Kong.
Mr. Lo is one of dozens of overseas democracy activists currently wanted by Hong Kong’s national security police and facing cash rewards.
When Wong tried to run again in 2020, authorities disqualified him. Wong was later arrested and charged with dozens of others for participating in an unofficial primary to select candidates for the Legislative Council elections.
In the case, widely known as the “47 Case” because of the number of opposition figures on trial, prosecutors said Wong and others overthrew Hong Kong’s government by holding primaries in 2020, a common practice in many democracies.
At the time, Hong Kong authorities said the preliminary vote was a “malicious conspiracy” aimed at “paralyzing the government and weakening state power” and accused those who took part of it to block its mandate indiscriminately.
Following a trial in 2024 that was the single largest prosecution of democratic activists under the NSL, most of the 47 people pleaded guilty and 14 were convicted and sentenced to up to 10 years in prison. The two were acquitted.
Since the NSL came into force, civil society organizations have been disbanded and some independent media outlets have been shut down. The city’s parliament is now made up entirely of pro-Beijing supporters, and most pro-democracy supporters are either imprisoned or in exile abroad.
Just last month, two key organizers behind what was the only major public commemoration of the 1989 Tiananmen massacre in mainland China were found guilty of inciting subversion.
