(Bloomberg) -- Jailed Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong is scheduled to be released one month early Monday, as the government reels from one of the largest mass protests since the former British colony’s return two decades ago.

The 22-year-old activist who became the face of the Occupy Central movement five years ago, will be set free Monday, according to a post on his Facebook page late Sunday. He plans to hold a news conference at 10:30 a.m.

Wong would’ve been eligible for early release Monday from a two-month sentence for contempt of court and it was unclear whether the move was linked to the march.

The former student leader started his activism career during protests that forced the withdrawal of a national education curriculum in 2012 and later became a co-founder of Demosisto political party. Wong could further rally demonstrators continuing to convene in the financial district after hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets on Sunday.

Hong Kong rose up in defiance a day after Chief Executive Carrie Lam suspended a contentious bill that would allow extradition to the mainland for the first time. People flooded the streets, bringing the city to a stand still for a second weekend and drew a formal apology from the embattled leader. Protesters want the complete withdrawal of the bill.

Thousands of people also took to the streets in 2017 when Wong received a six-month sentence for charges against him during the Occupy Central movement. He got a subsequent three-month sentence for contempt of court, which was reduced to two in May upon returning from bail.

To contact the reporter on this story: Lulu Yilun Chen in Hong Kong at ychen447@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Peter Elstrom at pelstrom@bloomberg.net, Brendan Scott, Colin Keatinge

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