Prominent Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong is expected to be sentenced Thursday for his second conviction under a Beijing-imposed national security law HONG KONG -- Prominent Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong is expected to be sentenced Thursday for his second conviction under a Beijing-imposed national security law, in a case that critics say reflects the crackdown on the city's once-thriving pro-democracy movement. Wong was charged in 2025 with conspiracy to collude with foreign forces to endanger national security under the law. In September, he pleaded guilty, facing a prison term ranging from three years to life imprisonment.
Pleading guilty typically reduces the sentence. The 30-year-old is already serving a four-year, eight-month prison term for the city's biggest national security case linked to an unofficial primary after entering a guilty plea in that case. Before being prosecuted for the collusion-related charge, Wong had been expected to be freed in January 2027.
Judge William Tam is scheduled to hand down the penalty Thursday morning. Some members of the public started queuing outside the court building as early as Tuesday to secure a seat in the public gallery. Hong Kong once had a freewheeling civil society marked by its vibrant protest and media scenes.
But after an anti-government movement rocked the city in 2019, authorities reduced public choice in elections and arrested many leading activists. Some news outlets known for their reports critical of the government shut down, and dozens of civil society groups dissolved. Observers say Wong's sentencing shows the authorities' determination to keep prominent activists in prison for as long as possible, further chilling civic activism.
But Beijing views Wong as an anti-China figure supporting Hong Kong independence, a stance that crosses its red line. Hong Kong authorities also said the security law is crucial for the city’s stability following the 2019 protests, maintaining that the city's law enforcement actions were evidence-based. The prosecution previously alleged that Wong and fellow activist Nathan Law had agreed in or around 2016 to lobby internationally to achieve their goal of democratic self-determination.
It said that before the security law was introduced, the pair had been calling for sanctions and other adverse measures against Hong Kong and China. It pointed to his meetings with U.S. politicians like Nancy Pelosi and Marco Rubio in 2016 and 2019. After the law was enacted, Law and others advanced their work abroad by meeting foreign politicians and launching petition drives, it said.
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