Jailed Hong Kong Activist Joshua Wong Pleads Guilty To Foreign Collusion

Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong pleaded guilty on Wednesday to a national security charge involving alleged collusion with foreign forces, exposing him to a possible prison sentence of up to life.

It is the second time Wong has been prosecuted under Hong Kong’s national security law, introduced by Beijing in 2020 after the mass anti-government protests that rocked the city in 2019. He is expected to be sentenced later.

Wong, 29, was accused of conspiring with fellow activist Nathan Law and others to seek sanctions, blockades or other hostile actions against Hong Kong or China between July and November 2020. The charge carries three to 10 years in prison, or life imprisonment if deemed a grave offence.

Wong is already serving a four-year-and-eight-month sentence after pleading guilty in a separate national security case linked to an unofficial primary election. A guilty plea can generally result in a reduced sentence.

His latest case followed his arrest in June 2025, just months before he had been expected to complete his existing sentence and regain his freedom.

Wong rose to prominence in 2012 as a high school student, leading protests against the introduction of national education in schools. He later became an international face of Hong Kong’s democracy movement through the 2014 Occupy Movement and the mass protests of 2019.

He co-founded political group Demosisto with young activists including Law. The group disbanded after the national security law came into force.

Rights advocates say prosecutions such as Wong’s have created a chilling effect on civic activism and demonstrate the authorities’ determination to silence prominent dissenters. Beijing, however, portrays Wong as an anti-China figure who supports Hong Kong independence.

The crackdown has also imprisoned other leading activists, including former media tycoon Jimmy Lai, while several others have fled to countries such as Britain and the United States.