Joshua Wong
Detained Since: November 23, 2020
Charges: Conspiracy to commit subversion; conspiracy to collude with foreign forces.
Sentence: Four years and eight months in prison for conspiracy to commit subversion. Pleaded guilty to conspiracy to collude with foreign forces on September 2, 2026; awaiting sentencing.
Biography: Joshua Wong is a prominent pro-democracy advocate in Hong Kong who has been repeatedly imprisoned on politically motivated charges. At just 14 years old, he co-founded Scholarism, a student group that opposed the introduction of pro-Beijing national education in Hong Kong schools. At age 17, he helped lead the 2014 Umbrella Movement, a 79-day civic protest in response to the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) decision to pre-approve candidates for Hong Kong’s elected leadership. Two years later, he co-founded Demosisto, a political party advocating for Hong Kong’s democratic self-determination. His advocacy inspired thousands of others to speak out against the CCP’s repression. After meeting him in person, then-Senator Marco Rubio noted that “Joshua Wong...represent[s] the future of Hong Kong.”
Wong has been continuously imprisoned since November 23, 2020, when he was remanded in custody after pleading guilty to charges of organizing and inciting an unauthorized assembly outside Hong Kong police headquarters in June 2019. In November 2024, he was sentenced to four years and eight months in prison for conspiracy to commit subversion under Hong Kong’s National Security Law. The conviction stemmed from his participation in an unofficial primary election organized by Hong Kong’s pro-democracy opposition in July 2020. Wong was among 47 pro-democracy politicians and activists prosecuted in the case, commonly known as the “Hong Kong 47” trial. He had been expected to be released in January 2027.
On June 6, 2025, while serving his existing sentence, Wong was charged with conspiracy to collude with foreign forces under the National Security Law. Prosecutors alleged that Wong and fellow activist Nathan Law had sought international support for sanctions and other measures against Hong Kong and Chinese authorities, and that Wong continued supporting these efforts after the National Security Law took effect in June 2020. The allegations concerned his international advocacy, including meetings with foreign officials and public calls for action against the erosion of Hong Kong’s autonomy. On September 2, 2026, Wong pleaded guilty to the charge before Hong Kong’s High Court. He is awaiting sentencing and faces a possible sentence of life imprisonment if the offense is deemed to be of a grave nature.
He is the only activist to be charged twice under the National Security Law.
Chinese and Hong Kong authorities have stated that Joshua’s actions are “collusion” with a foreign country to harm China and have vilified Joshua in national media as an anti-China “separatist.” These claims have been strongly rejected by civil society, national governments, and the international community.
Wong received the 2019 Westminster Award for Human Rights, Human Life and Human Dignity, awarded by British parliamentarian Lord David Alton, and the Lantos Foundation’s 2018 Human Rights Prize. In 2018, he was also among the leaders of the Umbrella Movement nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by members of the U.S. Congress.
Advocate: Rep. John Moolenaar (R-MI)
Advocacy Partner: Freedom House
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