Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for conspiring to collude with foreign forces under the city’s national security law, extending his time behind bars after a second conviction under the legislation.
Wong, once one of the most recognisable faces of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement, pleaded guilty in September to conspiring with fellow activists to seek foreign sanctions against China and Hong Kong in 2020.
The activities took place between July and late November that year, following the introduction of Beijing’s National Security Law (NSL), which criminalised acts authorities consider to involve secession, subversion, terrorism or collusion with foreign forces.
Prosecutors told the court that Wong had worked with other campaigners, including self-exiled activist Nathan Law, to lobby foreign governments for sanctions and blockades against Beijing.
Wong and Law were Co-founders of Demosisto, a now-defunct pro-democracy political party.
The new sentence adds to a prison term Wong is already serving after pleading guilty in a landmark subversion case in 2024. He is currently serving four years and eight months and had been due for release in January.
The court said two months and two days of the new 10-year sentence would run concurrently with his existing term.
Beijing imposed the NSL on Hong Kong in 2020 following large-scale pro-democracy demonstrations that swept the city in 2019 against what protesters viewed as growing Chinese government interference.
The legislation significantly expanded the authorities’ powers to prosecute activities classified as threats to national security.
Since its introduction, hundreds of activists and ordinary residents have been arrested under the law. Several prominent civic organisations have dissolved, while media outlets known for their critical coverage of the government have closed.
Critics, including international rights organisations, argue that the legislation has restricted political freedoms and weakened Hong Kong’s autonomy.
Chinese and Hong Kong authorities, however, maintain that the law was necessary to restore stability after the 2019 unrest. They reject claims that it has undermined the city’s autonomy or unlawfully restricted free expression.
A Hong Kong government spokesperson previously dismissed criticism of Wong’s prosecution, arguing that seeking foreign sanctions against China should not be treated as an ordinary exercise of free speech. “The lawful exercise of free speech must not be conflated with taking actions to collude with a foreign country to impose ‘sanctions’ to harm one’s own country,” the spokesperson said in September.
Court Calls Case “Grave”
Delivering the sentence, Judge William Tam described Wong’s case as grave, saying that the activist had conspired to seek foreign sanctions at a time when Hong Kong was experiencing significant social unrest.
The judge said that Wong and his co-conspirators continued promoting calls for sanctions after the national security law came into force. “After the NSL came in, Wong and his conspirators continued to promote such calls not only through their own social media accounts but also via prominent news media or outlets in the West, reaching both local and international audience,” the judge said.
Tam acknowledged that the sentence was severe but argued that it reflected the seriousness of the offence. “Whilst it is a very heavy sentence on the defendant, the punishment must fit the gravity of the crime committed,” he said.
He added that the court also considered it necessary to express what he described as the community’s abhorrence of Wong’s actions.
Human Rights Watch Condemns Ruling
Human Rights Watch condemned the ruling, describing it as “cruel and unjust.”
The organisation’s Asia Director, Elaine Pearson, said that the case reflected what she described as a strategy by Hong Kong authorities to use multiple charges against prominent pro-democracy figures to discourage dissent and limit international criticism.
“To keep Hong Kong society subdued, and to reduce the chance of an international outcry, the Hong Kong government appears to have adopted the tactic of stacking charges against influential pro-democracy leaders.”
Elaine Pearson
The ruling adds to a series of prosecutions brought under the national security law against activists, politicians, journalists and other residents
Wong’s Long History Of Pro-Democracy Activism
Wong, who turned 30 last month, became involved in activism as a teenager and rose to prominence during the 2014 Umbrella Movement, which called for greater democratic participation in Hong Kong.
He was first imprisoned at the age of 23 and has since faced multiple prosecutions linked to his political activities.
His latest sentence places him among the most heavily punished figures prosecuted under the national security law. Former media tycoon Jimmy Lai received a 20-year prison sentence for colluding with foreign forces, the harshest punishment imposed under the legislation to date.
Ahead of Wong’s sentencing, police increased security outside the court near Hong Kong’s financial district. Dozens of people reportedly gathered outside, with some waiting for two nights in the hope of seeing the prominent activist.
The sentence marks another major development in Hong Kong’s national security prosecutions and underscores the continuing divide between authorities defending the legislation as essential to stability and rights groups warning of its consequences for political freedoms.
