BREAKING: Jailed Hong Kong pro-democracy campaigner Joshua Wong pleads guilty to foreign collusion charge

Hong Kong pro-democracy campaigner Joshua Wong has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to collude with foreign forces, his second conviction under a Beijing-imposed national security law following a landmark subversion case. Joshua Wong. File photo: Studio Incendo. Wong entered a guilty plea on Wednesday at the High Court over the foreign collusion charge. The 29-year-old was accused of conspiring with self-exiled activist Nathan Law and others to request foreign countries to impose sanctions, blockades or engage in other hostile activities against Hong Kong or China in 2020. The offence carries a maximum penalty of life behind bars. Wong is currently serving a four-year-eight-months prison term for conspiracy to subvert state power in the landmark national security case known as the “Hong Kong 47,” in which he was among 45 prominent campaigners convicted in 2024. He was originally expected to complete his jail term in 2027, but the fresh foreign collusion conviction could add years to his prison stint. The activist was arrested in Stanley Prison by the police’s national security department in June last year. He has been behind bars since November 2020. Police officers outside High Court on September 2, 2026. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. Prosecutors accused Wong, who alongside Law co-founded the now-defunct pro-democracy party Demosisto in 2016, of having requested foreign sanctions through engaging in an “international front” in the wake of the 2019 protests and unrest. Wong was said to have conducted international lobbying for sanctions against Hong Kong or China, requested the US to introduce the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act in 2019 and implored other Western countries to impose Magnitsky-styled sanction acts. He continued his international lobbying campaign despite the enactment of the Beijing-imposed national security law in June 2020, while Law flew out of the city to maintain their cause overseas, prosecutors said. Beijing inserted national security legislation directly into Hong Kong’s mini-constitution in June 2020 following a year of pro-democracy protests and unrest. It criminalised subversion, secession, collusion with foreign forces and terrorist acts – broadly defined to include disruption to transport and other infrastructure. The move gave police sweeping new powers and led to hundreds of arrests amid new legal precedents, while dozens of civil society groups disappeared. The authorities say it restored stability and peace to the city, rejecting criticism from trade partners, the UN and NGOs. Demosisto announced its disbandment on the day the national security law came into effect. Law is wanted by the Hong Kong national security police, with a HK$1 million bounty issued for information leading to his arrest. Safeguard press freedom; keep HKFP free for all readers by supporting our team Support HKFP | Policies & Ethics | Error/typo? | Contact | Newsletter | Transparency & Annual Report | Apps Make a one-off donation. Founded in 2015, Hong Kong Free Press is an impartial, non-profit, award-winning English-language newspaper. Run by journalists, backed by readers and 100% independent, HKFP is governed by a public Code of Ethics. If there are uncertainties relating to safety or security, we may use an "HKFP Staff" byline. More on our Ethics & Policies. More by Hong Kong Free Press