On 6 June 2025, jailed pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong was charged with “conspiring to collude with foreign forces” under Hong Kong’s National Security Law. Wong, already serving a four-year and eight-month sentence for his role in the “Hong Kong 47” case, faces accusations of conspiring with exiled activist Nathan Law and others between July and November 2020 to request foreign sanctions against Hong Kong and China. The new charge, which carries a potential life sentence, appears strategically timed to prevent concurrent sentencing, effectively extending Wong’s imprisonment beyond his scheduled January 2027 release date. Wong appeared in court briefly and did not apply for bail, with the case adjourned until 8 August 2025. This development underscores the continued use of the National Security Law to suppress dissent and signals a further narrowing of the enabling environment for civil society in Hong Kong, where activism and international engagement are increasingly criminalised.
This precedent establishes that activists can face indefinite imprisonment through successive prosecutions, ensuring that prominent democracy figures remain behind bars regardless of their original sentences.