Hong Kong democracy activist Joshua Wong is scheduled to face sentencing this coming September in a case brought under a national security law that Beijing imposed on the city — legislation that critics argue has been used to crush the pro-democracy movement there.
Wong, who first gained recognition as a student leader in Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement, was taken into custody in June 2025. He faces charges of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces in a way that endangers national security. This marks the second time he has been charged under the security law, which was introduced in Hong Kong in 2020 following sweeping anti-government protests that swept through the city the year prior.
Court records posted on the judiciary’s website Tuesday show a combined plea and sentencing hearing has been set for September 2, with the proceedings expected to wrap up in a single day.
Prosecutors allege that Wong conspired with fellow activist Nathan Law and others to urge foreign governments, institutions, organizations, or individuals outside of China to impose sanctions, blockades, or carry out other hostile actions against Hong Kong or China. The alleged conduct is said to have taken place between July 1 and November 23, 2020.
If convicted, the charge carries a prison term of between three and ten years. However, if authorities determine the offense is “of a grave nature,” the sentence could extend to life imprisonment.
This is not Wong’s first brush with the national security law. In 2024, he pleaded guilty in a separate case tied to an unofficial primary election and received a sentence of four years and eight months behind bars.
Wong first came to public attention in 2012, when, as a high school student, he led protests against a proposed national education curriculum in Hong Kong’s schools. He later became an internationally recognized figure as a leader of the 2014 Occupy Movement.
In 2016, Wong co-founded a political party called Demosisto alongside other young activists, including Law. During the 2019 pro-democracy protests, Wong worked to build support for the movement from overseas. His efforts prompted Beijing to label him a proponent of Hong Kong independence who “begged for interference” from foreign powers.
Demosisto dissolved when Beijing enacted the security law in 2020. Authorities have maintained that the law has restored stability to the city.
Hong Kong authorities have placed bounties of 1 million Hong Kong dollars — roughly $127,600 — on Law, who relocated to Britain, and other activists living abroad, offering the reward to anyone who provides information leading to their arrest.
Just last month, a court in London handed down prison sentences to a former U.K. border official and a retired Hong Kong police officer after they were convicted of spying on dissidents and critics of Beijing living in Britain. Prosecutors said Law was among those targeted.
