Hong Kong democracy activist Joshua Wong sentenced to 10 years in prison for foreign collusion

The Hong Kong High Court has sentenced democracy activist Joshua Wong to a further 10 years in prison on charges of colluding with foreign powers. The 30-year-old Wong was accused of conspiring with foreign forces to jeopardise Hong Kong's national security. This sentence marks his second conviction under the National Security Law.

According to a report by ABC News, Joshua Wong was previously serving a sentence of 4 years and 8 months for 'subversion' under the city's stringent national security legislation. Based on that previous sentence, he was expected to be released in January. However, Hong Kong authorities used the same Beijing-imposed law to charge him again in June 2025. He was accused of requesting other countries to impose sanctions against Hong Kong and China.

In September, Wong pleaded guilty to these charges, leading to the sentencing today. While delivering the verdict, High Court Judge William Tam stated that Wong's crime was of a serious nature and rejected the argument that Wong's role was limited. Judge Tam added, "The sentence must be proportionate to the gravity of the offence." He further stated that the court needed to signal that the community detests such acts of jeopardising national security in collusion with foreign powers or external elements.

Judge William Tam mentioned that he had initially considered a 13-year prison sentence, but reduced it to 10 years as Wong had confessed to his crime. Since only two months remained of Wong's previous prison term, the judge allowed both sentences to run concurrently. According to a report by DW, Wong will now not be released until the end of 2036.

In this case, the prosecution claimed that Wong and fellow activist Nathan Law decided around 2016 to lobby internationally to achieve the goal of democratic self-determination. Before the National Security Law came into effect, both individuals were calling for sanctions and other adverse measures against Hong Kong and China. The prosecution cited their meetings with American politicians such as Nancy Pelosi and Marco Rubio in 2016 and 2019 as evidence.

After the law was implemented, Nathan Law and others continued this operation from abroad by meeting foreign politicians and running petition campaigns. Wong supported these efforts from within Hong Kong through foreign media outlets and social media to attract the attention of foreign countries and strengthen demands for sanctions, blockades, or other hostile measures against China and Hong Kong.

However, Wong had clarified that he never advocated for independence for Hong Kong nor demanded a change of regime in China. Nevertheless, Beijing views Wong as an anti-China individual who supports Hong Kong's independence, which is considered crossing China's 'red line'. Hong Kong authorities maintain that the security law is crucial for the city's stability following the 2019 protests and that legal proceedings are evidence-based.

Wong appeared calm while the sentence was being read in court and thanked his supporters before leaving. His supporters encouraged him by waving. Tiffany Chin, a former member of the now-disbanded 'Scholarism' student activist group once led by Wong, was moved to tears by the scene. Some Hong Kong citizens had been standing in line outside the court since Tuesday to secure seats in the public gallery. Activist Lui Yuk-lin was in line holding a paper with Wong's name. Hong Kong resident E.T. Wong stated that when Joshua Wong was a teenager, he possessed a 'big-picture thinking' that perhaps some adults do not have. He chose a difficult path for the future of Hong Kong, human rights, and the student movement. E.T. Wong added, "In my heart, he should not have spent a single day in prison wrongfully."

This verdict has drawn heavy international criticism. Human Rights Watch and other critics have termed the sentence "unjust". The US Consulate in Hong Kong, in a statement, "strongly condemned" the sentence and demanded Wong's "immediate release". A US spokesperson stated, "Wong has been unjustly imprisoned since December 2020, showing that Beijing will go to any lengths to silence those advocating for fundamental freedoms in Hong Kong." The UK's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office stated that this sentence is a clear example of how security laws are being used to target individuals for political expression and partnership.

China's Foreign Ministry has warned those speaking out on this decision. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said in a news briefing, "Relevant parties should respect China's sovereignty, respect Hong Kong's legal system, and stop making irresponsible comments regarding the trial of Hong Kong's judicial cases."

Melbourne-based lawyer and Hong Kong democracy supporter Kevin Yams described the 10-year prison sentence as "absurd". He said, "My first reaction was that it is completely disproportionate for a person fighting for democracy and lobbying internationally for democracy in Hong Kong to receive a 10-year sentence." Comparing it with another case, he noted that in a Hong Kong verdict yesterday, a Beijing-supporting politician was sentenced to only two and a half years for the crime of pedophilia. Yams added, "This means that fighting for democracy in Hong Kong is now a greater crime than pedophilia."

Eric Lai, a research fellow at the Georgetown Center for Asian Law, stated that if the government deems it necessary, National Security Law (NSL) charges can be repeatedly used as a weapon to keep a specific political prisoner in jail. Observers say Wong's sentence shows that authorities deliberately want to keep leading activists in prison for long periods to reduce civic activism.

Hong Kong was once known for its vibrant protests and media landscape. However, after the 2019 anti-government movement, authorities reduced public choice in elections and arrested many leading activists. Numerous news outlets critical of the government shut down and several civil society groups disbanded. Wong was previously part of a group of activists known as the 'Hong Kong 47' who were sentenced for their role in an unofficial primary election in 2020, where he received 4 years and 8 months.

Joshua Wong gained international fame as an influential figure in Hong Kong's 2014 protests, known as the 'Umbrella Movement'. He led the student activist group 'Scholarism'.