Hong Kong Activist Joshua Wong Receives Additional 10-Year Sentence for Colluding with Foreign Entities

Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong, who has been incarcerated since 2020, has been handed an additional 10-year prison sentence. The city's High Court found Wong guilty on Thursday of colluding with foreign entities, a violation of the national security law. This sentence comes merely two months before his anticipated release in January 2027.

"The punishment must fit the gravity of the crime," stated High Court Judge William Tam in a crowded courtroom. "It is also necessary for the court to express the community’s abhorrence of the defendant’s scheme and acts with others to collude with foreign forces or external elements to endanger national security."

Wong, now 30 years old, was accused of conspiring with self-exiled activist Nathan Law and others to solicit sanctions or blockades, or other hostile actions against the government, from foreign countries, bodies, or individuals outside of China. He had pleaded guilty to this charge in September. Judge Tam indicated that while a 13-year sentence was initially considered, it was reduced to 10 years due to Wong's guilty plea and mitigating factors.

Formerly a prominent figurehead of Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement, Wong has been in prison since 2020, initially sentenced for his involvement in protests held the previous year. These demonstrations began in opposition to plans for extradition to mainland China but broadened into a wider pro-democracy movement. Wong became a recognizable representative, frequently appearing in media interviews. He later admitted guilt to charges of inciting and organizing an unauthorized anti-government assembly.

The court's decision on Thursday drew criticism from governments and rights groups. The United States consulate in Hong Kong issued a statement strongly condemning the additional sentence and calling for Wong's immediate release. A spokesperson noted that Wong's imprisonment since December 2020 demonstrates Beijing's efforts to silence advocates for fundamental freedoms in Hong Kong.

Following the sentencing, Taiwan also denounced the "endless political persecution" of Hong Kong's pro-democracy activists, with its top China policy body stating that Beijing and the Hong Kong government employ "authoritarian tools" to fabricate charges and suppress citizens' rights to freedom, democracy, and human rights.

Human Rights Watch condemned the latest charge, with Asia director Elaine Pearson calling the harsh sentence on "baseless charges" cruel and unjust, highlighting the government's practice of imprisoning young people who promote social change.

Amnesty International also criticized the additional sentence, describing it as "another grim reminder of how Hong Kong’s National Security Law has become a tool to punish dissent."