Joshua Wong

Joshua Wong Chi-fung (Chinese: 黃之鋒; Cantonese Yale: Wòhng Jīfūng; born 13 October 1996) is a Hong Kong activist and politician. He served as secretary-general of the pro-democracy party Demosistō until it disbanded following implementation of the Hong Kong national security law on 30 June 2020. Wong was previously convenor and founder of the Hong Kong student activist group Scholarism. Wong first rose to international prominence during the 2014 Hong Kong protests, and his pivotal role in the Umbrella Movement resulted in his inclusion in TIME magazine's Most Influential Teens of 2014 and nomination for its 2014 Person of the Year; he was named one of the "world's greatest leaders" by Fortune magazine in 2015, and nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2017.

In August 2017, Wong and two other democracy activists were convicted and jailed for their roles in the occupation of Civic Square at the incipient stage of the 2014 Occupy Central protests; in January 2018, Wong was convicted and jailed again for failing to comply with a court order for clearance of the Mong Kok protest site during the Hong Kong protests in 2014. He also played a major role in persuading U.S. members of Congress to pass the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act during the 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests. Wong was disqualified by the Hong Kong government from running in forthcoming District Council elections. In June 2020, he announced he would run for a Legislative Council seat in the upcoming election, and officially applied on 20 July 2020, before his nomination was invalidated on 30 July 2020 along with that of 11 other pro-democracy figures. In December 2020, Wong was convicted and jailed for more than a year over an unauthorised protest outside police headquarters in June 2019. In a national security trial in 2024, a Hong Kong court sentenced Wong to jail for 4 years and 8 months for subversion.

Early life and education

Wong was born in Hong Kong on 13 October 1996,[1] and was diagnosed with dyslexia in early childhood.[2][3] The son of middle-class couple Grace and Roger Wong,[4] Wong was raised as a Protestant Christian in the Lutheran tradition.[5][6] His early interest in social activism was influenced by his father, a retired IT professional,[7] who was a convener of a local anti-gay marriage initiative[8][9][10] and often took him to visit underprivileged communities.[11][12]

Wong studied at the United Christian College (Kowloon East),[13] a private Christian secondary school in Kowloon, and developed organisational and public speaking skills through involvement in church groups.[14] Wong pursued undergraduate studies at the Open University of Hong Kong, having enrolled in a bachelor's degree in political studies and public administration.[15][16] Due to his political activities, Wong took leave from his studies, and reportedly remained a student until 2019.[17]

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joshua_Wong