Christian pro-democracy campaigner Joshua Wong is facing a possible life sentence after pleading guilty to colluding with foreign entities.

The 29 year old became a symbol of Hong Kong’s opposition to China’s strict security laws during the ‘Umbrella’ protests in 2014 and 2019. Last year he was sentenced to four years and eight months for subversion after being convicted along with 45 other campaigners.

Appearing this week at Hong Kong’s High Court, Wong was accused of conspiring with self-exiled activist Nathan Law and others in 2020 to implore foreign countries to impose sanctions and blockades or other hostile activities against Hong Kong and mainland China. The offence carries a maximum life penalty.

Human rights campaigner and co-founder of Hong Kong Watch, Benedict Rogers is a long-standing supporter of Wong. He told Premier Christian News he is a “really remarkable young man” who shouldn’t be behind bars at all. 

“What that charge means is simply talking to foreign politicians. Joshua had communication with people like Nancy Pelosi, the former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. And  essentially what he's charged with is peacefully advocating for democracy and human rights, which are the things, the values, that Hong Kong was promised when it was returned to China," he said. 

Rogers understands that Wong pleaded guilty “in the hope that it might result in a slightly lesser sentence than if he'd pleaded not guilty. But the reality is he shouldn't be charged at all. I mean, he has committed no crime in the sense of what you or I would understand as a crime. He's on the contrary, a very courageous and very upstanding young man”.

Describing Wong as someone who should be “honoured, not jailed”, Rogers said the cause of democracy and freedom of religion in Hong Kong have been driven underground since the protests:

“You're still allowed to be a Christian, but certainly freedom of religion, basically all freedoms in Hong Kong have been dismantled and eroded”.