Politics1 min read

Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong sentenced to 10 years in prison in national security case

By · Via The Guardian · Published by Everything Blog

In short

High Court Judge William Tam emphasized that the activist's actions were grave in nature after he admitted to collaborating with exiled figure Nathan Law. Prosecutors targeted his past travel to the United States and social media posts demanding sanctions and hostile measures against China. The court determined that this new term will be served concurrently alongside his prior subversion sentence. Notably, Wong had previously received a four-year and eight-month sentence in November 2024 for conspiracy to commit subversion.

Key points

  • The sweeping national security legislation enacted in 2020 continues to be enforced again…: The sweeping national security legislation enacted in 2020 continues to be enforced against leading participants of Hong Kong's past protest movements.
  • Joshua Wong remains subject to extended imprisonment after already having accumulated nea…: Joshua Wong remains subject to extended imprisonment after already having accumulated nearly six years in detention.
  • Beijing implemented the controversial security framework to restore public stability, whe…: Beijing implemented the controversial security framework to restore public stability, whereas critics maintain it was designed to dismantle political opposition.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong was sentenced on Thursday to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to “foreign collusion”, his second conviction under a national security law that critics say has been used to silence political opposition in the city.

Wong, who rose to prominence as the teenage face of Hong Kong’s 2014 pro-democracy demonstrations, submitted his plea in September. He had been accused of working with the exiled Hong Kong activist Nathan Law to urge foreign powers to impose sanctions, blockades or other hostile measures against China.

In his ruling, High court Judge William Tam described Wong’s actions as “grave in nature”.

He said Wong had visited the US to seek foreign interference ahead of the national security law’s introduction in 2020, and continued to share posts on social media by Law calling for sanctions after it was enacted.

Wong’s role was to “supply his underground support” and “arouse the attention of foreign countries to bolster the cause” of exiled activists, the judge said.

He said Wong’s sentence will run concurrently with the remaining term of his previous…

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