Hong Kong (AFP) – One of Hong Kong's best-known democracy activists, Joshua Wong, will be sentenced on Thursday for the national security crime of "foreign collusion", which carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

Issued on: 04/11/2026 - 23:11

Wong, once a figurehead of youthful dissent in the Chinese city, has spent almost six years in jail and turned 30 behind bars last month.

The former student leader was previously expected to be freed in January, upon completion of a jail term of four years and eight months for "subversion" under a Beijing-imposed national security law.

But Hong Kong authorities used the same law to charge Wong again in June 2025, accusing him of asking other countries and entities to impose sanctions against the finance hub and China.

Wong pleaded guilty in September, a move that typically results in a reduced sentence.

He will be sentenced at a hearing scheduled for 09:30 am (0130 GMT) on Thursday, according to the Hong Kong judiciary website.

The judge is expected to decide if Wong's offence is of a "grave nature", and if so, the security law mandates a prison stint of between 10 years and life.

Rights groups have decried the collusion charge against Wong as a deliberate attempt by authorities to keep him incarcerated.

Political star

Wong rose to prominence during Hong Kong's 2014 protests, known as the Umbrella Movement, and has been in and out of jail since 2017 due to protest-related prosecutions.

Authorities said Wong started international lobbying as early as 2016, when he promoted a bill -- the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act -- that would allow the US President to impose sanctions in response to human rights violations in the city.

In 2019, as Hong Kong saw massive and sometimes violent pro-democracy protests, Wong was part of a delegation to the United States to lobby for the bill, which eventually passed.

The following year, Beijing imposed a sweeping national security law on Hong Kong to quash dissent, prompting opposition groups to disband and activists to flee the city.

At the time, Wong vowed to "continue to defend my home -- Hong Kong -- until they silence me".

He was among the dozens of pro-democracy figures who were jailed for "subversion" in 2024, in what was Hong Kong's largest national security trial.

Some of his co-defendants in that case have been released in recent months after completing their sentences.

But Wong stands out as the only person in that cohort to be charged twice under the security law.

'Worried'

Earlier, Wong's lawyer argued for a shorter sentence of three to 10 years, citing time already served.

Louis Lee, a friend of the activist, said Wong remained "energetic" behind bars but was sometimes "worried and nervous" about the sentencing.

During prison visits, the former student leader looked disappointed and would sigh from time to time, Lee recalled.

"There are always so many unknowns," said Lee, who was a member of the now-disbanded Scholarism student group co-founded by Wong.

"But he has to accept this reality, rather than simply continuing to feel down or unhappy because of it."

"It is truly heartbreaking. Such an outstanding young man, who has been exceptional since he was in his youth," said Margaret Chan, a 61-year-old retiree and a long-time supporter of Wong.

"But he will be in his middle age by the time he is released," Chan told AFP.

© 2026 AFP

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