Hong Kong democracy activist Joshua Wong is scheduled to be sentenced in September in a case brought under a Beijing-imposed national security law. The judiciary's website indicated that a hearing for plea and sentence is planned for Wong on September 2, expected to last one day.
Wong, a prominent former student leader, was arrested in June 2025 on suspicion of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces to endanger national security. This marks his second charge under the national security law, which was introduced in Hong Kong in 2020 following extensive anti-government protests the year prior. He is accused of conspiring with fellow activist Nathan Law and others to solicit sanctions, blockades, or other hostile actions against Hong Kong or China from foreign entities between July 1 and November 23, 2020. This offense carries a potential prison term ranging from three to 10 years, or life imprisonment if deemed exceptionally severe.
In a separate national security case related to an unofficial primary election, Wong pleaded guilty in 2024 and received a sentence of four years and eight months.
Wong first gained prominence in 2012 as a high school student leading protests against the introduction of national education in local schools. He later became an international figure as a leader of the 2014 Occupy Movement. In 2016, Wong co-founded the political party Demosisto with other young activists, including Nathan Law. During the 2019 pro-democracy movement, Wong actively sought international support for the protests. Beijing has characterized him as an advocate for Hong Kong independence who sought foreign interference.
Demosisto disbanded in 2020 after Beijing implemented the security law, which authorities state has restored stability to the city. Hong Kong authorities have also offered rewards for information leading to the arrest of overseas-based activists, including Nathan Law, who is now in Britain. Last month, a London court sentenced a former U.K. border official and a retired Hong Kong police officer for spying on dissidents and critics of Beijing in Britain, with prosecutors noting Nathan Law was among their targets.