Joshua Wong faces sentencing in second Hong Kong national security case

Joshua Wong, 30, stands to receive a sentence of up to life imprisonment on Thursday for a second conviction under Hong Kong's national security law. The hearing is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. and is expected to conclude within 30 minutes. Wong pleaded guilty in September to conspiracy to collude with foreign forces to endanger national security. Legal experts note that a guilty plea typically results in a reduced sentence compared to a full trial.

Wong is already serving a four-year, eight-month prison term for a separate national security offense. That conviction stems from his role in an unofficial primary election for the pro-democracy camp. He was one of 47 activists charged in that case in 2021 and received his sentence in November 2024. Without the new collusion charge, Wong was expected to be released in January 2027.

The prosecution argues that Wong and former student leader Nathan Law agreed in or around 2016 to lobby internationally for democratic self-determination. According to court filings, the pair sought sanctions and other adverse measures against Hong Kong and China before the security law took effect in 2020. The state alleged that Wong continued to support these efforts from within Hong Kong using foreign media and social media, while Law worked from the United Kingdom.

Critics of the case describe it as a mechanism to keep prominent dissidents behind bars, thereby chilling civic activism. Eric Lai, a research fellow at the Georgetown Center for Asian Law, called the procedure disturbing. He stated that the second case provides a method to keep Wong out of public view. Lai observed that the government appears eager to use criminal prosecution to ensure political dissenters are not released from jail shortly.

Supporters view Wong as a voice for a generation born in the final years of British colonial rule before the city's handover to China in 1997. He gained fame leading 2012 protests against national education and became a central figure in the 79-day occupation during the 2014 Umbrella Movement. Wong co-founded the political party Demosisto with Law, but the group disbanded when the security law took effect.

Defense lawyer Derek Chan has urged the court to impose a sentence that gives Wong hope. Chan noted that Wong has spent nearly six years in prison and used that time to read books and mature in his thinking. He said Wong hopes to care for his parents after release. Tiffany Chin, a former member of the dissolved group Scholarism, told reporters that Wong faces considerable psychological pressure despite being mentally prepared for the outcome.

Wong’s case has drawn attention beyond the courtroom. A 2017 Netflix documentary about his life recently rose to the top of Hong Kong’s popular chart. Pro-Beijing newspaper Wen Wei Po criticized the film for beautifying his crimes, calling the trailer seditious. The government maintains that its law enforcement actions are based strictly on evidence and are independent of any political stance.