Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong has been 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 fame as the teenage face of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protests in 2014, entered his guilty plea 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 Thursday, Superior Court Judge William Tam described Wong’s actions as “serious in nature.” He said Wong had visited the US to seek foreign interference before the introduction of the national security law in 2020, and continued to share posts on Law’s social media calling for sanctions after its passage. enacted. Wong’s role was to “provide clandestine support” and “raise the attention of foreign countries to bolster the cause,” the judge said. He described Wong’s actions as part of a “scheme” to collude with foreign governments. Tam said Wong’s sentence would run concurrently with the remainder of his previous national security offence. After the ruling, Law said in a statement: “It is incredibly sad to see my friend Joshua Wong suffer another sentence for his peaceful work defending Hong Kong democracy.” The signal that the sentence sent to the world is that [China] Amnesty International Deputy Regional Director Sarah Brooks said: “Today’s ruling is another grim reminder of how Hong Kong’s national security law has become a tool to punish dissent rather than genuinely protect national security.” Amid a strong police presence, a group of international diplomats were also present for the sentencing. The former student leader is already serving a prison sentence of four years and eight months (imposed in November 2024) for conspiracy to commit subversion for his role in an unofficial primary election. He has spent almost six years in detention and was due to be released in January 2027. Wong, 30, attracted international attention during the 2014 Umbrella protests, which paralyzed the election. The financial center of the city and galvanized a generation of young people. In October 2014, he appeared on the cover of Time magazine with the headline: “The Face of Protest.” When protests broke out in 2019 over a proposed 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 that it said was necessary to restore. stability to the former British colony, but critics say it has been used to attack political opposition, disband civil society groups and silence independent media. Wong is the only activist in Hong Kong to be prosecuted twice under the law and his sentencing on Thursday was criticized by human rights groups and supporters.
