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

Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong was sentenced 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 pro-democracy protests in 2014, pleaded guilty in September. He had been accused of working with exiled Hong Kong activist Nathan Law to urge foreign powers to impose sanctions, blockades or other hostile measures against China.

In his ruling on Thursday, High Court Justice William Tam called Wong’s actions “serious in nature.”

He said Wong traveled to the United States to research foreign interference before the national security law was introduced in 2020, and continued to share social media posts by Law calling for sanctions after it was signed into law.

Wong’s role was to “provide his clandestine support” and “attract the attention of foreign countries to support the cause”, the judge said. He described Wong’s actions as part of a “plan” to collude with foreign governments.

Tam said Wong’s sentence would run concurrently with the remaining sentence for his previous national security offense.

After the ruling, Law said in a statement: “It is incredibly sad to see my friend Joshua Wong face another sentence for his peaceful work for democracy in Hong Kong.

“The signal that the sentence sends to the world is that (China) is determined to destroy any hope of freedom and democracy on its soil.”

Sarah Brooks, Deputy Regional Director of Amnesty International, said: “Today’s sentence is yet another grim reminder of how Hong Kong’s national security law has become a tool intended to punish dissent rather than truly protect national security. »

Wong wore a dark blue shirt and thick-rimmed glasses in court, and nodded and bowed when supporters waved at him. Dozens of people lined up outside the court for the hearing, amid a heavy police presence. A group of international diplomats were also present during the sentencing.

The former student leader is already serving a four-year, eight-month prison sentence – imposed in November 2024 – for conspiracy to commit subversion over his role in an unofficial primary election. He spent almost six years in detention and was due to be released in January 2027.

Wong, 30, gained international attention during the 2014 Umbrellas protests, which paralyzed the city’s financial center and galvanized an entire generation of young people. In October 2014, he appeared on the cover of Time magazine under the title: “The Face of Protest”.

When protests erupted in 2019 against an extradition bill, Wong was serving a prison sentence for his role in the 2014 protests. He was released at the height of the protests and immediately took to the streets.

The following year, Beijing introduced a sweeping national security law deemed necessary to restore stability in the former British colony, but critics say it was used to target political opposition, disband civil society groups and silence independent media.

Wong is the only Hong Kong activist prosecuted twice under the law and his conviction on Thursday was criticized by human rights groups and their supporters.