Joshua Wong sentenced to 10 years under national security law
newsNov 5, 202642139
Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong, 30, was sentenced on Thursday to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty in September to conspiring to collude with foreign forces under the city’s national security law. High Court Judge William Tam described Wong’s actions as "grave in nature" and said Wong had visited the United States to seek foreign interference and continued to share posts by exiled activist Nathan Law calling for sanctions after the law took effect. Prosecutors accused Wong of supplying "underground support" and helping to "arouse the attention of foreign countries to bolster the cause," part of what the judge called a scheme to collude with foreign governments. The new 10-year term will run concurrently with the remaining portion of a previous national security sentence; Wong is already serving four years and eight months imposed in November 2024 and has been detained since 2020. Nathan Law said it was "incredibly sad" to see Wong sentenced again for peaceful advocacy, and Amnesty International deputy regional director Sarah Brooks called the sentence "another grim reminder" that the law is being used to punish dissent. Dozens of supporters waited outside court amid a heavy police presence, and a group of international diplomats attended the hearing.
