Joshua Wong sentenced to 10 years for foreign collusion

Hong Kong democracy activist Joshua Wong received a 10-year prison sentence on Thursday for colluding with foreign powers.

A court summary stated that judges imposed the final term of 10 years' imprisonment on the 30-year-old former student leader. Wong pleaded guilty in September to charges under Beijing's national security law. The prosecution alleged that he sought to have other countries and entities impose sanctions on Hong Kong and China.

Wong has already spent nearly six years in custody. He was previously expected to be released in January after serving four years and eight months for subversion. However, authorities charged him again in June 2025 for foreign collusion. This makes him the only individual from the 2024 subversion trial cohort to face two separate charges under the security law.

Wong entered the courtroom on Thursday wearing a blue shirt and black glasses. He nodded to supporters and scanned the gallery before the verdict. After the sentencing, he waved to the crowd outside. Supporters in the queue told AFP they would wait for his release.

Police deployed heavily around the court building during the hearing. Dozens of people waited in line to attend the session. Louis Lee, a friend of Wong and member of the disbanded Scholarism group, said the activist remained energetic in prison. Lee noted that Wong appeared worried and nervous about the outcome.

Steve Tsang, director of the China Institute at SOAS University of London, told AFP that Beijing views Wong as a key leader of the 2019 protests. Tsang stated that the sentence shows authorities are keeping a tight rein on the territory. He argued there is no scope for returning to the more relaxed political environment seen before 2019.

Rights groups have criticized the collusion charge as a deliberate effort to keep Wong incarcerated. Wong rose to prominence during the 2014 Umbrella Movement and has faced multiple prosecutions since 2017. He lobbied the United States in 2019 for the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, which passed the following year. Margaret Chan, a 61-year-old supporter, said Wong will be in his middle age by the time he is released.