Hong Kong, 2 September (LaPresse/AP) – Joshua Wong, a well-known pro-democracy activist in Hong Kong, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to collude with foreign forces to endanger national security. This is the second legal case brought against Wong, a former student leader of the pro-democracy movement and one of its best-known figures, under the national security law introduced in Hong Kong in 2020 to quell the massive anti-government protests that had rocked the city the previous year. Wong, 29, who was wearing a blue shirt, appeared gaunt as he pleaded guilty. After hearing his lawyer’s arguments in favour of a more lenient prison sentence, Judge William Tam stated that the sentence would be handed down as soon as possible, without specifying a date. The offence carries a prison sentence of between three and ten years, or up to life imprisonment if the offence is deemed to be ‘of a serious nature’. Pleading guilty generally results in a reduced sentence.
Hong Kong: Activist Joshua Wong pleads guilty to conspiracy
Hong Kong, 2 September (LaPresse/AP) – Joshua Wong, a well-known pro-democracy activist in Hong Kong, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to collude with foreign forces to endanger national security. This is the second legal case brought against Wong, a former student leader of the pro-democracy movement and one of its best-known figures, under the national security law introduced in Hong Kong in 2020 to quell the massive anti-government protests that had rocked the city the previous year. Wong, 29, who was wearing a blue shirt, appeared gaunt as he pleaded guilty. After hearing his lawyer’s arguments in favour of a more lenient prison sentence, Judge William Tam stated that the sentence would be handed down as soon as possible, without specifying a date. The offence carries a prison sentence of between three and ten years, or up to life imprisonment if the offence is deemed to be ‘of a serious nature’. Pleading guilty generally results in a reduced sentence.