Jailed Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong pleaded guilty in the High Court on Wednesday to conspiring to collude with foreign forces under the national security law. The court adjourned the case to a later date for sentencing, CNA reported, citing local media. Wong, 29, a former secretary-general of Demosistō, had already pleaded guilty at a preliminary hearing in May.
What is he accused of? The charge read in court, as summarised by CNA from Hong Kong reports, said that between July 1 and November 23, 2020, Wong conspired with former Demosistō chairman Nathan Law and others to ask foreign or external bodies, organisations or individuals to impose sanctions, blockades or other hostile actions on Hong Kong or the People's Republic of China. He was arrested in prison in June 2025 while serving a sentence of four years and eight months for conspiracy to commit subversion, imposed in November 2024 over the pan-democratic camp's "35+" Legislative Council primary. Under the security law, the offence carries three to ten years, or ten years to life if it is of a grave nature.
What did his defence ask for? His lawyer said in mitigation that Wong was only 23 at the time, had served sentences in several cases and had spent nearly six years in prison. Wong had been expected to be freed as early as January 2027, the lawyer said, asking for a lenient sentence and a chance to reform. Wong also reportedly wrote a mitigation letter saying he remained optimistic and believed he would one day be released to care for his parents.
Who rallied in Taipei? Several Taiwanese civic groups, including Amnesty International Taiwan and the Taiwan Association for Human Rights, gathered outside the Legislative Yuan on Wednesday morning to demand that the charges be dropped and Wong be freed unconditionally, CNA reported. Their demands also called for the release of all Hong Kong political prisoners and for Taiwan's government to take a public position. Sang Pu, chairman of the Taiwan Hong Kong Association, said pleading guilty can reduce a sentence and Wong's choice harmed no one, and that defendants who pleaded guilty in the "47 case" had not surrendered either. "Inside a big iron cage, plead guilty or not? They are innocent," he said.
