Joshua Wong receives 10-year prison term in second national security conviction

Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Thursday, November 5, after pleading guilty to foreign collusion. The ruling marks his second conviction under the city's national security law, legislation that critics say has been deployed to suppress political opposition.

Wong entered his guilty plea in September. Prosecutors accused him of working with Nathan Law, a Hong Kong activist living in exile, to encourage foreign powers to impose sanctions, blockades or other hostile measures against China. High court Judge William Tam characterised Wong's conduct as “grave in nature” and said it formed part of a scheme to collude with foreign governments.

Tam said Wong had travelled to the United States to seek foreign interference before the national security law took effect in 2020. After its introduction, Wong continued sharing social media posts in which Law called for sanctions, the judge said. Tam described Wong's role as providing support behind the scenes and drawing foreign countries' attention to the cause.

The judge ordered the new sentence to run concurrently with the remainder of Wong's earlier national security sentence. In November 2024, Wong received a prison term of four years and eight months for conspiracy to commit subversion over his involvement in an unofficial primary election. He has been detained for nearly six years and had previously been scheduled for release in January 2027.

Law condemned the ruling in a statement, expressing sadness that his friend had received another sentence for peaceful advocacy for Hong Kong democracy. He said it signalled China's determination to extinguish hopes for freedom and democracy on its territory. Amnesty International deputy regional director Sarah Brooks also criticised the sentence, saying it demonstrated how the law was being used to punish dissent.

Dozens of people queued outside the court before the hearing, where police maintained a heavy presence. International diplomats also attended. Wearing a dark blue shirt and thick-rimmed glasses, Wong nodded and bowed while supporters waved to him.

Wong, now 30, became internationally known as a teenage leader during the 2014 Umbrella protests, which brought Hong Kong's financial centre to a standstill and mobilised a generation of young people. He appeared on Time magazine's cover that October. When demonstrations against a proposed extradition bill began in 2019, he was imprisoned over his role in the earlier protests. Upon his release during the height of the unrest, he immediately joined demonstrators on the streets.

Beijing introduced the national security law the following year, saying it was necessary to restore stability to the former British colony. Critics say it has instead been used against political opposition, civil society organisations and independent media. Wong is the only Hong Kong activist to have been prosecuted twice under the legislation.