Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong to be sentenced for collusion

Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong, a prominent figure in the city's pro-democracy movement, is set to be sentenced on Thursday for allegedly colluding with foreign entities. The 30-year-old faces a potential life sentence under Hong Kong's national security law. Wong was among a group of young protesters whose efforts were made illegal by Beijing's 2020 sweeping security legislation.

High Court Judge William Tam will deliver the verdict at 9:30am Malaysian time. Wong is accused of conspiring with exiled activist Nathan Law and others to solicit foreign countries, institutions, organizations or individuals to impose sanctions, blockades, or engage in hostile activities against either Hong Kong or China between July 1 and November 23, 2020.

The alleged conspiracy occurred during this period, according to prosecutors. Wong already serves a sentence for a separate national security charge of conspiracy to commit subversion. That conviction stems from his involvement in an unofficial primary election in 2020, which aimed to select the most pro-democratic candidates to help the movement secure a majority in Hong Kong's legislature.

The sentence for the 2020 primary conviction is set to expire in 2027. Prosecutors claim activists plotted to manipulate the legislature to block government budgets and force the city's leader to resign, an act authorities deemed as subversion.