Joshua Wong, a prominent 29-year-old pro-democracy activist in Hong Kong, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to conspiracy to collude with foreign forces to endanger national security. Prosecutors accused Wong of working with exiled activist Nathan Law to urge foreign powers to impose sanctions, blockades, or other hostile measures against China and Hong Kong.
This marks Wong's second conviction under Beijing's 2020 National Security Law, a measure that has effectively stifled the city's once-thriving pro-democracy movement and transformed the Asian financial hub. Already serving prison time for a separate case, Wong now faces a sentence that could be extended by a minimum of three years, with a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
Wong rose to international prominence as a teenage democracy activist. He was part of a group of youngsters whose protest efforts have now been effectively outlawed by the sweeping national security law imposed by Beijing.