Jailed HK activist Joshua Wong pleads guilty to foreign collusion

What the report says

Prominent Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong has pleaded guilty to a new charge of colluding with foreign entities, according to BBC World News. The 29-year-old is already serving a prison sentence for subversion under Beijing’s National Security Law, and the court said he will be sentenced later. The new case carries a possible life sentence.

BBC said prosecutors allege Wong worked with other campaigners, including exiled activist Nathan Law, to encourage foreign countries and outside entities to impose sanctions or other measures against Beijing. The hearing also focused on lobbying efforts linked to travel to the US, Germany and Italy, and on support for the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, a US law passed in 2019 that allows sanctions against officials over rights abuses in Hong Kong.

Wong has been one of the best-known faces of Hong Kong’s democracy movement, including the 2014 Umbrella Movement and the 2019 protests. The case adds to a wider pattern of prosecutions under the National Security Law, which critics say has sharply narrowed political space in the city, while Beijing and Hong Kong authorities argue it is needed for stability.

Supporters gathered in court for the hearing, where Wong did not contest the allegations reported by BBC. His current prison term is due to end early next year.