Hong Kong Activist Joshua Wong Pleads Guilty to Foreign Collusion

Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong pleaded guilty to a charge of foreign collusion on Wednesday in a second national security trial against him.

Prosecutors stated Wong visited foreign countries and met foreign politicians to lobby for sanctions, and continued to call for sanctions after the national security law was implemented in 2020. The prosecution said their plan was called 'International Battlefront' and involved social media campaigning and meetings with U.S. politicians like Marco Rubio and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Wong has been continuously imprisoned since November 2020 and is currently serving a sentence of four years and eight months for subversion, with an expected release in January 2027. The new collusion offense carries a minimum prison term of three years and a maximum penalty of life imprisonment if deemed of a grave nature. Pleading guilty typically results in a reduced sentence.

Wong waved and smiled at supporters as he entered the dock, wearing a blue shirt and black-rimmed glasses. Several Western diplomats attended the proceedings. Wong first gained prominence as a teenager in 2012, leading protests against the introduction of national education in Hong Kong schools. In 2014, he became known as a student leader in the Occupy Movement, advocating for direct elections.

Beijing labeled him an advocate of Hong Kong independence who begged for interference from foreign forces. The political party he co-founded, Demosisto, was disbanded after the security law was enacted on June 30, 2020.