Detained Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong charged under controversial national security law pleads guilty
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Detained Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong charged under controversial national security law pleads guilty.
In the largest combined prosecution in the territory in recent years, Joshua Wong and a group of 28 Hong Kong pro-democracy activists who were accused under a contentious national security statute entered guilty pleas.
Under the broad national security law, a total of 47 defendants, ranging in age from 23 to 64, were charged with conspiring to commit subversion. They were imprisoned in 2021 for their alleged involvement in a plot to bring down Hong Kong’s administration by participating in an illegitimate primary election in 2020, according to the authorities. Candidates prepared to take on the Beijing-backed local government at the time received a lot of support in the primary.
According to Hong Kong media, well-known dissidents and campaigners including Wong and legal expert Benny Tai were among the 29 who entered guilty pleas on Thursday. The two guys are already doing time for convictions related to protests. Wong, 25, who is still being held, stated during the court on Thursday that the primary election gave Hongkongers a chance to voice their political preferences. He stated, “Our vote is our voice, being heard in the global community.”
Along with Wong and Tai, The Global Times, a state-owned publication in China, claimed on Thursday that former parliamentarians Claudia Mo, Eddie Chu, and Alvin Yeung all entered guilty pleas. Restrictions on media coverage for the proceedings, which will begin at Hong Kong’s high court next month, have finally been relaxed. In the past, defence attorneys have claimed that the prosecution has not adequately described the conspiracy in which their clients are allegedly involved.
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Following the 2019 pro-democracy rallies, almost 2,000 Hong Kong citizens were detained, and the main opposition Apple Daily newspaper was forced to close. Political speech and public gatherings have been put on hold due to a lack of clarity over the authorities’ red lines, and more people have been detained as a result of these activities, including the 90-year-old Catholic cardinal Joseph Zen.
In response to the protests in 2020, China enacted the broad national security law, arrested critics in the media and in civil society, and restructured the local legislative council to allow only pro-Beijing individuals to occupy the office.
(with inputs from agencies)
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