Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong sentenced to 10 more years in prison

Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong has been sentenced to a further 10 years in prison for colluding with foreign forces. The sentence was handed down on Thursday. He had pleaded guilty to the charge in September. This is his second conviction under the national security law.

Wong, 30, has been in prison since 2020. He is the only activist in Hong Kong to have been prosecuted twice under the national security law, which critics say has been used to silence political opposition in the city.

Wong was 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, High Court judge William Tam described Wong's actions as 'grave in nature'. He said Wong had visited the United States to seek foreign interference ahead of the national security law's introduction in 2020, and continued to share social media posts by Law calling for sanctions after the law was enacted.

The judge said Wong's role was to 'supply his underground support' and 'arouse the attention of foreign countries to bolster the cause' of exiled activists. His new sentence will run concurrently with the remaining term of his previous offence.

Wong appeared in court wearing a dark blue shirt and thick-rimmed glasses. He nodded and bowed as the sentence was delivered, while supporters waved.

The former student leader is already serving a prison term of four years and eight months, imposed in November 2024 for conspiracy to commit subversion over his role in an unofficial primary election. He has spent nearly six years in detention and, under the earlier sentence, had been due for release in January 2027.

Wong rose to international prominence as the teenage face of Hong Kong's 2014 pro-democracy demonstrations. The 'Umbrella' protests paralysed the city's financial centre and galvanised a generation of young people. In October 2014 he appeared on the cover of Time magazine under the headline 'The Face of Protest'.

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

The following year, Beijing introduced the sweeping national security law. Beijing said the law was needed to restore stability to the former British colony, but critics say it has been used to target political opposition, dissolve civil society groups and silence independent media.