Joshua Wong jailed for 10 more years in second Hong Kong national security case
The activist, due for release in January, pleaded guilty to colluding with foreign forces and is now not expected out until late 2036, CNA reported.
Hong Kong democracy activist Joshua Wong was jailed for 10 years by the High Court on Thursday for colluding with foreign forces, his second conviction under the national security law Beijing imposed on the city in 2020, the South China Morning Post, the BBC, The Guardian and CNA reported.
Wong, 30, has spent nearly six years behind bars and had been due for release in January after a subversion term of four years and eight months. CNA reported he is now not due out until late 2036. The BBC said two months and two days of the new term would overlap with his current sentence.
He pleaded guilty in September. Prosecutors said he conspired with self-exiled activist Nathan Law and others to lobby for foreign sanctions and blockades against Beijing. The BBC reported the court heard the activities took place between July and late November 2020. According to The Guardian, Judge William Tam said Wong had visited the US to seek foreign interference before the law was introduced, then kept sharing Law's posts calling for sanctions.
CNA reported that Tam said Wong potentially faced a life term, as the offence was deemed "of a grave nature". The judge took 13 years as a starting point and cut it to 10 for the guilty plea. Wong's lawyer had argued for three to 10 years. In a mitigation letter seen by AFP, Wong said the new charge made him feel he was back at the beginning.
Dozens of people queued outside the court amid a heavy police presence, and The Guardian reported that a group of international diplomats attended. The BBC said Wong took notes as the judge spoke. As he left, some supporters wept and were heard saying: "We'll be waiting for your release," CNA reported.
The Guardian described Wong as the only activist in Hong Kong prosecuted twice under the law, while CNA said he was the only one charged twice among those jailed for subversion in 2024. Former media tycoon Jimmy Lai received 20 years in February, which the BBC said is the harshest sentence under the law so far.
Law said it was "incredibly sad" to see his friend sentenced again. Human Rights Watch called the ruling "cruel and unjust", and its Asia director Elaine Pearson told the BBC the government "appears to have adopted the tactic of stacking charges against influential pro-democracy leaders".
Authorities argue the law is needed to maintain stability, the BBC reported. Chief Superintendent Steve Li of the police National Security Department welcomed the sentence, saying it "evidently proved" Wong's efforts to rouse foreign sanctions were "futile", according to CNA. Taiwan's top China policy body accused Beijing and the Hong Kong government of "endless political persecution". Human Rights Watch urged foreign governments to impose targeted sanctions on the officials responsible.
Sources: The Guardian, Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong sentenced to 10 years in prison in national security case; CNA, Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong sentenced to 10 more years for collusion; South China Morning Post, Joshua Wong jailed for 10 years over bid to instigate sanctions on Beijing, Hong Kong; BBC News, Joshua Wong, face of Hong Kong's pro-democracy protests, jailed for 10 years.
