Key facts
- Joshua Wong pleaded guilty to conspiring with foreign entities.
- The charge is a national security crime under Beijing's National Security Law.
- Wong faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.
- He is already serving a four-year, eight-month sentence for subversion.
- The collusion activities allegedly took place between July and November 2020.
Prominent Hong Kong pro-democracy campaigner Joshua Wong has pleaded guilty to conspiring with foreign forces to endanger national security. The charge, under Beijing's National Security Law, carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. Wong, 29, is already serving a sentence of four years and eight months for a previous national security conviction related to subversion.
The latest charge alleges that Wong, along with exiled activist Nathan Law and others, conspired between July and November 2020 to ask foreign countries or entities to impose sanctions or blockades against Hong Kong or China. Prosecutors noted that Wong shared an online petition urging companies to stop cooperating with police and wrote to foreign companies warning about their collaboration with the Chinese government.
Wong's supporters gathered in court, with some shouting encouragement. His friend Louis Lee mentioned that Wong has been pursuing new interests in prison, such as learning guitar and exercising, and has spent over 2,000 days incarcerated.