The Japan Times - Joshua Wong, Hong Kong's pro-democracy poster child

The 29-year-old Wong has been detained several times for his involvement in various demonstrations, including huge pro-democracy rallies that rocked Hong Kong in 2019.

The subject of a Netflix documentary that depicted him in a David-and-Goliath-style fight against China's political might, he has been a thorn in Beijing's side for more than a decade.

Rights groups have condemned the latest case against him, arguing the charges aim to keep Wong in prison as long as possible.

- Activist at 13 -

Born to middle-class Christian parents Grace and Roger Wong, he began activism at 13 years old, when he protested against plans for a high-speed rail link between Hong Kong and mainland China.

Two years later, then 15, Wong campaigned successfully for Hong Kong to drop a pro-China "National Education" programme, rallying a crowd of 120,000 people to blockade the city's parliament for 10 days.

In many ways, he pioneered a method of demonstration embraced by subsequent movements, which saw activists organise non-violent civil disobedience including strikes, boycotts and seizing streets.

Wong spearheaded the 2014 Umbrella Movement protests alongside fellow student leaders Nathan Law and Alex Chow, electrifying crowds with his speeches.

But the movement failed to win any concessions from the Chinese Communist Party or Hong Kong's pro-Beijing leaders.

Wong captured the world's attention and was hailed as one of the world's most influential figures by Time, Fortune and Foreign Policy magazines.

And he became the subject of the 2017 Netflix documentary "Teenager vs Superpower".

- A price to pay -

Wong has paid for his activism as prosecutors came after him and other Umbrella Movement leaders.

Wong went on to found a political party, Demosisto, in 2016, campaigning for Hong Kong's self-determination, though not independence -- a red line for Beijing.

His demands were consistent and simple: that Hong Kong residents should get to decide their city's fate, not Communist Party leaders in Beijing.

He was also involved in the huge, and sometimes violent, democracy rallies in 2019 that prompted Beijing to impose a national security law on Hong Kong the following year.

Scrawny, with gaunt features and a studious frown, Wong took his fight abroad, meeting with politicians in Taiwan, Germany and the the United States.

In an article written for Time from prison in June 2019, he said: "My lack of freedom today is a price I knew I would have to pay for the city I love."

On June 30, 2020, the day Demosisto disbanded and Beijing's security law took effect, Wong vowed in a post to "continue to defend my home -- Hong Kong -- until they silence me and eliminate me from this land".

- Years behind bars -

Wong has been jailed over 2,000 days in total for several convictions, and was due to be released in January 2027.

But prosecutors came after him again in June last year for his international lobbying, with Wong pleading guilty to charges of foreign collusion which could see him remain behind bars for life.

The sentence will be decided "as soon as possible", the judge said, without specifying a date.

Defence lawyer Derek Chan said Wong had read hundreds of books as he "has matured substantially in his thoughts and views" in jail.

Wong "hopes to be released from prison... to take care of his ageing parents", Chan said.

Even after years in detention, the activist remained "energetic", Louis Lee, once a member of a student group co-founded by Wong, told AFP.

Wong, who will turn 30 next month, has maintained his curiosity and desire to gain a deeper understanding of the world, said Lee, who visits him regularly in prison.

Quoting pop lyrics in a 2024 card to Lee, Wong expressed gratitude for the support he had received along the way.

"Hope we all cherish each other. In that, there is enough," he wrote.

"Many thanks for your 'all ears' on me."

Y.Ishikawa--JT