Joshua Wong Seeks Lighter Sentence in Subversion Case

Prominent Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong should be considered an active participant in a landmark subversion case involving 47 democrats, his lawyer said, but urged a court to hand him a lighter sentence for entering his plea early.

Wong, 27, who wore a gray sweater and navy blue shirt in court, was one of dozens of democratic activists arrested in 2021 for participating in an unofficial poll to select candidates for a 2020 legislative council election.

Of these, 47 were charged with "conspiracy to commit subversion" under a national security law imposed by Beijing.

Wong's lawyer, Marco Li, told the court that while his client should be considered an active participant in the conspiracy, he had no involvement in organizing or assisting in the primary election.

In view of Wong's early plea of guilty, Li urged a reduction of a third in his sentence, which could range from three years to 10 for active participants in the conspiracy, but life for those judged to be "principal offenders".

"He very much hopes that after all these offenses, he could part with his past history and be able to reform himself after this particular offense," Li added.

The marathon case has prompted criticism from countries such as Australia, Britain, and the United States, which say national security laws have been used to curb freedoms guaranteed when Britain handed the Asian financial hub back to China in 1997.

The mitigation hearings began a month after 14 activists were found guilty, with two acquittals, in May. They had pleaded not guilty. Wong and 30 others had pleaded guilty, and four of them have become prosecution witnesses.