Hong Kong court sentences Joshua Wong to decade for foreign collusion
The former student leader will remain behind bars until at least 2036 after judges added time to his existing subversion term.
By Fatima Saleh ·
Joshua Wong received a 10-year prison sentence on Thursday for conspiring with foreign forces under Hong Kong's national security law. The ruling extends his incarceration beyond the date he was previously scheduled for release in January.
Wong pleaded guilty to the charges in September. Prosecutors alleged that he worked with other campaigners, including exiled activist Nathan Law, to seek sanctions and blockades against Beijing between July and late November 2020. The judge ordered that two months and two days of the new term overlap with the sentence Wong is already serving for subversion.
The 30-year-old activist appeared in court wearing a dark blue shirt, khaki trousers, and black-rimmed glasses. He looked thinner than in prior public appearances and took notes while the judge explained the ruling. Dozens of supporters waited outside for hours in the presence of a large police contingent.
Frances Hui, a friend and fellow activist living in the United States, described the sentence as part of a political effort to erase a generation's contribution. Elaine Pearson, Asia director for Human Rights Watch, called the ruling cruel and unjust, stating that authorities appear to be layering charges on prominent figures to limit international criticism.
Beijing enacted the national security law in 2020 following large-scale pro-democracy protests. Critics argue the legislation suppresses dissent, while authorities maintain it protects stability and preserves Hong Kong's autonomy. Hundreds of activists and residents have been arrested under the statute since its implementation.
Wong began his political career as a teenager. He helped form the student group Scholarism in 2011 at age 14. The group mobilized over 100,000 people to oppose compulsory patriotic education in schools the following year. His leadership in the 2014 Umbrella Movement established him as a leading democracy advocate.
In 2016, Wong co-founded the political party Demosisto with Law and Agnes Chow. The party dissolved in 2020. Wong admitted to offenses related to November 2020 protests and became one of 47 people charged with subversion in February 2021. He is currently serving a 56-month term for that conviction. The longest sentence under the law remains the 20-year term imposed on former media tycoon Jimmy Lai.
